The Distance in Your Eyes
by xx QuietContemplation xx
Summary: 21 year-old Naruto is sent on a mission to spy on Orochimaru, who took over Sasuke's body six years ago. But when he arrives in the Sound Village, things aren't what they seem. When things crumble around him, how will Naruto survive?
1. Prologue

**The Distance in Your Eyes**

**Author**: Silvergurl423

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto.

**Author notes**: Not too sure how this will end up, regarding pairings. I've never written yaoi before, but if I could I'd make it SasuNaru. For now, I'll just see where the plot takes me. I'd love comments and crit if you have any. Feel free to tell me what you think of my story, the plot, etc., but please no flaming. Like I said, it's my first try. ^^

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**Prologue**: Dawn

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The summons came early in the morning, when the sky wasn't even remotely bright. The messenger bird landed gracefully on the windowsill of an apartment in the middle of town, immediately tapping its beak against the glass. No one got up to open the window. The blind were down, and it couldn't see inside. It shuffled its wings, waited a while, and tapped again.

Still no reply.

Unable to delay delivering the Hokage's urgent message any longer, it flapped up to the small, covered hole above the window, developed – weirdly enough – for that very reason. The bird squeezed through the flap, hearing the click as it resealed behind it. It emerged into a small, messy bedroom and hovered just below the ceiling, searching for the ninja to whom it was supposed to deliver.

A body lay motionless on the bed, so entangled with sheets that nothing was visible but a lock of startling blonde hair and a leg hanging off the mattress. The bird dove downward, landing with a light thump approximately where the body's back would be underneath all the blankets. Had it not been for the muffled snore from under the pillow, the sleeping man would have appeared dead. Well used to the routine by now, and knowing it was the only way to wake him up, the bird fluttered forward and took a small chunk out of the ninja's ear.

The sudden screech of pain and surprise and then pain again as the man subsequently leapt out of bed, tripped on the sheets still wrapped around his legs, and fell flat on his face caused the bird's feather to puff up in fright. It recovered quickly, perching on the ninja's half-raised hand. The blonde, holding his bruised nose with his other hand, glanced resentfully at the bird and grumbled, "Oi! What'd ya do that for? A simple "get up" would've done too!" But the complaint was half-hearted. He, like the bird, was well used to it.

Yawning, the man untied the tiny scroll on the bird's back and unrolled it, rubbing tiredly at his cerulean blue eyes as he did. His gaze swept the paper and he was suddenly wide-awake. He stiffened a few seconds later, body going tense, his brow furrowed as he fought to make out the words in the dim moonlight coming through the covered window. All traces of weariness were gone.

Abruptly, the ninja grabbed the pre-packed bag resting near the foot of his bed, gathered his weapons pouch, snatched the orange and white ANBU mask from the drawer of his nightstand, and – in a poof of chakra-laced smoke – disappeared from the apartment.

The bird fell halfway to the floor as its perch vanished out from underneath it before gathering its wings. With one last indignant chirp, it left the way it came.

Two minutes later, Uzumaki Naruto knocked briskly on the double doors leading into the Hokage's private office.

The gash on his ear was already fully healed; only the dried blood around it to hint he'd ever been cut at all.

.::xxXxx::.

**A/N: **I know prologue is short, but I it's supposed to be like this. This was just to get the story rolling. The chapters are longer, I promise. ;)


	2. Chapter 1

**The Distance in Your Eyes**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto –sobs–

**Warnings:** None, really. There are some OCs introduced in the beginning, and many of the real characters won't make an appearance 'till the middle/end.

**Spoilers**: I try to follow the manga pretty closely (besides what I change for the story), so if you aren't up to date, you might not want to read this.

**A/N**: This is my first attempt at more than a one-shot. I'd love comments and crit if you have any. Feel free to tell me what you think of my story, the plot, etc., but please no flaming. Like I said, it's my first try. ^^ Because I'm English, I'm not going to use all the honorifics. Me trying to copy all the Japanese terms would not do the language justice.

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**Chapter 1: **Arrival

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I entered the office at her command, advancing to the middle of the circular room. It was at the fourth floor of the Hokage's Tower, and the entire front half of the room had windows that overlooked Konoha's marketplace. Bookcase lined the other walls, crammed next to each other and overflowing with books. I couldn't read the titles from where I stood, but I knew that if I walked over and looked, the books would be dusty old med-nin texts. The Hokage was, after all, the most skilled medical ninja in the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

The desk facing me was piled high with official documents and sealed scrolls, with only a narrow gap in the middle for the Hokage to see through. "Tsunade-sama," I greeted, bowing my head in a brief sign of respect. Tsunade glanced up from the report she was currently reading.

"Naruto," She replied irritably. "It's about time." The large bosomed woman rested her chin on her fists, glaring at me. Her long, light blond hair was pulled into a loose ponytail that fell midway down her back. She was beautiful, appeared to be in her mid- to late twenties, and was the third of the legendary Sannin. I didn't respond, just waited expectantly.

The other two people in the room included two guards, chuunin whose names I neither nor cared about, and a Tsuande's assistant, Shizune. The black haired woman was scowling at Tsunade, who diligently ignored her. I had a feeling it wasn't because Tsunade was procrastinating signing papers, or backed up in gambling debts again.

Tsunade stood up and waved a hand to the guards to get their attention. "Please, everyone leave the room except for Naruto," She commanded. I half-expected Shizune to argue, but she just turned on her heel and stalked out the door. I frowned after. What had her so angry? The double doors slammed shut, and I turned by to the Hokage. She was looking – no, staring at me, as if trying to see into my mind.

It was a bit uncomfortable to have such a powerful shinobi watch me like that, but I wasn't a jounin for nothing. It may have frightened other ninjas, but I _was _the only one who had had the nerve to call her 'Granny Tsunade" in my younger days. It wasn't that I was more intimidated than I would have been back then, but I'd like to think my training had managed to instill some manner of common sense and respect in me.

And Tsuande? Well, she did look like she was in a pretty foul mood. I would prefer to keep my head on my shoulders for now.

But then she broke the staring contest and sighed heavily. Tsunade rested her hands on the desk and leaned forward. I kept my gaze firmly on her face, and politely ignored the fact that her robe was gaping open at the chest.

"Regarding the terms on which you accepted the ANBU position . . ." Tsunade glanced up to make sure I understood. The mix of excitement, anxiety, tension that had been weighing me down since I got her summons increased suddenly. I knew exactly what she was referring to. After the time I'd spent training with the Pervy Sage – or Jiraiya the Toad Mountain Sage, as everyone who didn't know his lecherous habits called him – I had convinced Tsunade to let me go off on a little training of my own. What I hadn't expected was for it to take the years that it did. When I finally returned, the Leaf Village was much different. It was in the middle of a war with the Village Hidden in the Stones. I became a jounin after fighting in a major battle that determined Leaf's victory.

I hadn't wanted to stay in the village at all, but my old team leader Kakashi convinced me to stay. I found out later that he was also one of the shinobi who recommended I be offered a position with the ANBU Black Ops. I accepted on one condition: I am informed of every bit of new information the Hokage obtained on Sasuke Uchiha and Orochimaru. I'd long since given up hope of saving the person who had once been my one and only true friend. Sasuke had officially over gone to the dark side years ago. I'd tried hard to convince, to bring him back _home_, and I'd definitely been pushed to verge of death enough times to say that I'd done my best. Of course, losing repeatedly would have never stopped me – I would have succeeded in winning eventually, but the truth was, I wasn't strong enough in time. Orochimaru had taken over Sasuke's body before I could convince him to flee that snake's lair, or rip him out by force. Saving Sasuke; it was the one thing in my life I'd failed completely.

I had to make up for it.

The memories swarming my brain stopped abruptly at the thought, and I clenched my teeth. Tsunade had brought me here. She must have some news on what Orochimaru is up to. Seeing the confirmation in my face, Tsunade continued, "Our spies have all been killed or forced to flee. None got remotely close to the inner workings of the Sound village. Orochimaru has become quite adept at rooting them out. However, one happened to hear a dangerous rumor circulating the village. It seems that Oroshimaru's figured out a way to keep the body he's currently residing in, permanently. If this is true, it means we can't count on Orochimaru needing a new body; he'll be able to keep Sasuke's."

My eyes widened, and I had to forcibly keep my hands from making fists. Orochimaru had tempted Sasuke to him with promises of power and trained the ninja until he was strong enough to become the snake's next vessel. What he was really after was Sasuke's eyes; his kekkei genkai, the Sharingan of the last remaining Uchiha. Even after Orochimaru had obtained such formidable weapon, we'd been comforted in the knowledge that in a few years, the jutsu that let him absorb other ninja's abilities along with their bodies would start to wear out and he would have to switch vessels yet again. If this was true . . . if he was no longer held back by a time limit, a weakness . . . I met the Hokage's eyes and saw the worry in them.

"What are you going to do about it, Tsunade-sama? There must be some way to validate or disprove the rumor." In my opinion, we had to act immediately. Our defenses were down, because once Orochimaru had gotten what he wanted, he hadn't bothered Konoha anymore. We'd let our guard down. But with the Sharingan permanently at his disposal, who knows what he could do?

Tsuande's face lost all hints of doubts and worry as she pulled on the Hokage's confident aura around her. "I have a mission for you, Naruto." Her voice was strong, self-assured. Despite having wanted desperately to hear those words – to know that I would have a part in defending my village from this thread – there was something in her tone . . . What was it? I listened carefully for her next words, trying to match the hint of emotion in her voice with a name. The way she said it, it was almost like a warning. "I need you to infiltrate the Sound Village. Find out as much as you can about Orochimaru and report back frequently. This will be a long-term mission. It will take months, at least."

I fought to keep my face impassive through the surge of emotion I felt accompanying her words. Infiltrate the Sound? My mind went blank. Before I could even think about opening my mouth to respond, Tsunade snapped, "Listen to me, Naruto!"

I straightened imperceptibly, paying slightly more attention. "This is going to be one of the most difficult missions you've ever been on. Despite the wonders your training these past years have done for you, we both know that blending in and gathering information is not one of your strong suits. But I need you to do this – you're the only one who can."

"Tsunade-sama . . ." I hesitated, unsure if I could voice what I was feeling. "Are you sure it's okay to let me go so long on my own? I mean, the Akatsuki is still . . . active. I don't doubt my abilities as a shinboi—" I allowed a quick grin before my face became serious again. "—but should something happen, the Sound Village is far from Konoha."

Tsuande let her breath out in one short burst, fluttering the bangs that hung around her face. "I know. But it's not like you need Yamato to rein in the Kyuubi anymore. I trust you, Naruto. Will you accept this mission?" She seemed calm, but I could tell how much she was depending on my answer.

I had known I was going to accept from the moment she told me. How could I not? It involved Orochimaru, after all. Another lurch of butterflies in my stomach made me take a deep breath, but when I exhaled, my lips curved up in an eager smile. Raw determination shone through my eyes as my face set in certainty. "I will."

.::xxXxx::.

A light breeze tugged insistently at my hair and I impatiently brushed a hand across my bangs to keep them out of my face. I got maybe a moments respite before the wind simply shifted back to block my line of vision. Growling slightly in frustration, I gave up and instead tilted the map I was studying so that it caught the rising sun's light at a better angle. I was less half a day away from the Sound village. The tricky part, blending in, began here. Actually, I was surprised I hadn't met anyone else on the road.

The Sound Village had only recently become permanent, with a fixed location. From the best we could figure, Orochimaru had had several hideouts in the Sound Country and outside it where he and his minions dwelled. About seven years ago, Orochimaru had gathered all his ninja into one place, founding the Sound Village. At first it had been just the ninja that lived in the village. Nowadays, there were all kinds of people living there; missing-nin, traitors, those who sought out the Sannin to work under him, the children born to the inhabitants of the village, and even the few innocent wanderers unlucky enough to stray into its gates. Most people who entered never got the chance to leave.

The Village itself, unlike Konoha or the Sand Village, was very well hidden. Only those who knew where the entrance was could get in. Mostly, it was spread by word, rumored to be a safe haven to ninja that were in hiding. I could safely assume that many of the newcomers didn't actually waltz up to the gates. They probably meandered around the countryside, long enough to the guards to get a good look at them and judge whether or not they could be let in.

That being said, it was cause quite a panic if Naruto Uzumaki the Kyuubi Host came a knockin' on their door.

I caught I strand of my hair and inspected it; admiring the nice copper and chestnut brown shade of my previously blond hair. Instead of spiky and stuck up, my hair was now sleek and long enough to be pulled into a long braid reaching past my shoulders. If I got the chance to glance in a mirror, the black lines on my cheeks would be gone and my eyes would a silvery gray, almost bluish. It was an eye color I'd only seen on one person in my life. It probably would have been smarter to go with a more common color, like light green, but I couldn't resist. If I had to change my appearance, I'd rather it remind me of _her_ than the face of some stranger that wasn't in any way connected to the man called Naruto.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with my new look. It would have been exhausting to keep up a Henge for the months required of me, not to mention that elite ninjas can sometimes sense the chakra maintain the jutsu, but the change in my hair color was semi-permanent. It was a new branch of chakra manipulation that ANBU specialist had been working on. Instead of dying the hair, you could use chakra to change the pigment in the roots. That way, any new hair that grew out would be the same shade. As for my eyes, well, that had been a trick I'd picked up from the Kyuubi. Instead of casting a Henge over my eyes, I simply "wore" a layer of chakra over the irises. It was a fixed amount of chakra, instead of ongoing, so they would turn back to normal in time. I would have to be careful to replace them when it ran out. The whisker scars on my cheeks were hidden the same way, but you could still see them faintly if you knew what you were looking for. Still, it would work. Without this disguise, I wouldn't be able to last a day in the Village.

That reminded me—I needed a cover story, a real enough reason to seek out the Sound Village. After juggling several possibilities around, I decided that I would be a missing-nin from the Village Hidden in the Clouds.

It was where I spent my years training. I knew the culture and the terrain as well as I did the Hidden Leaf's, where I grew up. The dark, tanned skin tone, brunette hair, and traditional swirling tattoos on my shoulders also aided my story. The tattoos were an especially nice touch. They were used as a special sign meaning you had graduated from the Cloud village's academy and had gone on to earn the rank of jounin. One of my friends had had that tattoo; I knew it well.

The sudden feeling of loss, of sorrow, caught me off guard. It'd been almost a year and a half, and I still had not gotten used to grieving. I didn't know how to let my feelings out when there was no one to talk to. I was sworn to secrecy. The only people who understood exactly what I'd gone through on my years away from Konoha were Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. Besides those four, there was only one other person in my life who I'd even consider telling, but he was dead too. Sasuke was long dead.

The aches in my chest turned sharp, piercing like knives. I shuddered, forcing myself to take slow, deep breaths. My attempt to calm down failed. The pain flowed smoothly into anger, a much more familiar emotion. Twisting in a movement almost too fast to see, I slammed my fist into the nearest tree. Guarded silver eyes watched as the huge tree snapped in half and flew backwards, falling into the limbs of rest around it. My hand rose, dripping dark spots of blood on the leafy forest floor. I took a moment to stare at the wound, not bothering to get out bandages or anything else of the sort. I didn't need them. Sure enough, my skin healed, the cuts turning into week-old scabs in seconds' time.

I dropped my head, closing my eyes tightly as I tried to fend off memories that would only hinder my mission. That was probably the reason I didn't see the kunai until I heard the slight whistle of a weapon flying through the air. I fell flat on my stomach, not having enough time to pull off a fancy dodge or pull a weapon out to block as another knife hit the earth three inches from head. I grunted as I gathered my feet under me and leapt to the branches of the nearest tree, taking shelter behind its wide trunk.

Scanning the perimeter, I looked for a flash of metal or color that would give my attacker away. Nothing. They were good at hiding themselves, at least. Slowly, a grin crept over my face. If I could just fight hard enough, it would drive all the weak thoughts out of my head. Closing my eyes once more, I mentally poked the Kyuubi. He responded with a growl but directed his chakra to merge with my own inside my nose. At once, all the scents in the forest jumped to catalog themselves in my brain. I quickly sifted through the smells of my own blood, fresh tree sap, and bitter anger until I pinpointed the other's location.

I'd never met the individual, but the ninja had the same smell as the one cloaking the roads from here towards where I guessed the Sound Village was located. He must be one of scouts. _Well, if he wants to get a feel for my abilities, why not just show him?_ I smirked. There was a moment of silence before I vaulted out from behind the tree, dodging and deflecting the shuriken sent my way. An increase of chakra to my feet and I was going too fast for the ninja to aim at me.

One burst of strength and I was standing on the limb, only a couple feet from the ninja. I swept my foot at his head, snapping my knee around to smash into his head. My kick was blocked reflexively, and as he tried to grab my ankle, I used my momentum to bring my other leg up too quickly for him to react. His eyes widened, though most of his face was hidden behind bandages and a Sound headband. He appeared be wearing expensive clothes, meant to withstand rough battles and still look like they were new. It didn't look like any uniform I'd seen. He certainly didn't seem like the jounin type.

Or I might have just been biased, seeing the ninja fly backwards only to hit the tree trunk with a loud _thud_. He slumped, grabbing his shoulder as if in pain, but got back on his feet. I watched calmly as his hands flew up to form seals.

My own began to form the familiar Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but I remembered just in time that I was supposed to be undercover here. Shadow clones were like my signature move, as was the Rasengan. That got rid of two of my best jutsus. While I was standing there, hesitating, the other ninja finished his hand signs and yelled something I couldn't quite make out. I was much more concerned about the three balls of flame that were manifesting before him. I jumped backwards, putting some room between us.

The fire swirled mid-air, crackling as it grew in size. After my initial surprise, I let my face relax into a confident smile. The other ninja faltered, unnerved by my apparent unconcern as he hurled the fireballs straight at me. It just so happened that I knew the perfect jutsu to counter. My hands sped through the signs and a wall of water gushed up from the ground. It intercepted the fire, turning it to a hissing, seething cloud of steam that exploded back into the ninja's face. He screamed as the blistering vapor burned his skin. Well it was his own fault for choosing a fire type ninjutsu.

The cloud gradually misted away, and I crouched in a defensive position, eyes searching the area in front of me for some sign of the outcome of my attack. I heard a groan, and when it was finally clear enough to see, I could make out a form lying on the limb. It appeared he'd escaped the worst by dropping to his stomach, but his arms and shoulders were red and blistered. It looked pretty painful.

The ninja pushed himself unsteadily back to his feet, eyes hard. The end of his bandages caught on the rough wood and it tore off his face as he straightened up. I was left staring—a bit guiltily—into the face of young boy, maybe eleven or twelve at best.

"Is that the best you can do?" His taunts contrasted with the heaving of his shoulders as he breathed hard, and the short black hair plastered to his head with sweat. His left cheek was smudged with dirt and blood where I'd kicked him.

I frowned. This guy couldn't be more than a genin. What was I doing fighting him? I could blow him away with no effort at all. "Beat it, kid. You'll just get hurt again." The kid's face contorted.

"I'll never give up! I'll kill you!"

Sheesh. He was one who attacked me first. All I wanted was to get into the Village. I couldn't waste my time on such inexperienced ninja. I turned my back on the other without another word, walking along the tree limb before jumping down to the ground.

"Hey! I'm not done with you! Come back here, coward!"

I ignored him, preparing to go on my way. A huge increase of chakra had me glancing over my shoulder. The boy placed one hand on the tree limb and pushed himself off, following me to the forest floor.

The boy's face was screwed up in concentration as he focused his chakra again. This time, instead of little fires, enormous purple fires burst up around him, lifting his hair above his head. His eyes were wild with anger, and as he pointed a shaking finger at me, the flames surged forward almost eagerly, as if they were alive.

Whatever the heck this attack was, it was quick. I leapt upward, caught a branch with one chakra-filled hand, and flipped myself back towards the ground after the fire swept by. I landed lightly on the balls of my feet with a feline grace that clearly said the Kyuubi was on alert. The boy, perhaps mad that he'd missed, raised his arms above his head. I turned to see the flames nearly double in size. Crap.

I really didn't want to hurt the kid, but the amount of chakra flowing off him was amazing. I couldn't use my main jutsu, and water type I'd done just now would evaporate before it did any real help. Besides, there was something about that fire—not just because it was _purple_, but it felt . . . intelligent. It felt wrong. The best thing I could do was attack the kid and hope it would shatter his concentration. Maybe the fire would disappear.

Hooking a finger around a kunai knife behind my back, I flipped it into the air and caught it by the handle. I filled my other hand with shuriken, which I hid from his view. I closed the distance between us rapidly, but I felt the heat of flames licking at my feet, and knew I had to finish this now. I tossed the kunai before twisting and dodging away as the ground I'd just been standing on burst into flames. The boy blocked the kunai with his own just as I expected, but he hadn't seen the four shuriken aimed as his legs and arms.

"_Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!"_

Just a foot from hitting their mark, the shuriken clattered uselessly into a tall wall of hardened mud. For a second, I thought the boy had done it, that the mud had protected him like the sand did for Gaara, but the voice had been female.

Another ninja flipped down from the branches, this one with long, light blue hair. My eyes widened. What the—? I hadn't even noticed her presence. How had she gotten that close before I sensed her chakra? I kept one eye on the boy, but focused most of my attention on her. The woman's face reminded me of Sakura's; it gave you shivers when you realized how pissed off she was. I instantly knew that this was no genin. Totally ignoring me, she dropped into a crouch, facing the boy with fury in her eyes.

"Akihiro! What did I tell you about wandering off? You _baka_! Do you know what you could have done?! And using _that_ power, no less!"

"Shut up, Amaya!"

"Brat. You'd better hope _he _doesn't find out about this—for you sake and mine!" A flash of genuine fear crossed over Amaya's face, looking out of place on the tough kunoichi. Akihiro glared daggers at her, and swung his arm around to point at her. I opened my mouth to yell a warning to her as flames that had quieted some flared up again, but she didn't need it. Another mud wall sprung up to block the fire at the same time the ground beneath Akihiro suddenly turned liquid.

With a strangled cry, he grabbed at the solid ground around him. Amaya was by his side in a flash. Her hand snapped into his neck, and Akihiro was unconscious before I could even think about moving. She grabbed him by the shirt, hauled him unceremoniously over her shoulder, and then finally spared me a glance. "If you're way out here, I assume you're looking for a certain place." The way she said it was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded. I saw her eyes rake over me, assessing, analyzing. They settled briefly on my headband—the Cloud Village emblem with a scratch across its length. "What's your name, stranger?"

"Rai." My reply was smooth, natural. As if it was really my name.

"Rai . . .?

"Just Rai." My tone was final, inviting no more inquires. Surely Amaya was used to ninja being secretive. She raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

Then she tilted her head arrogantly, a light smirk accompanying her words.

"Alright then, Rai. I'll show you the way, if you think you can keep up."

A grin settled across my features. "I bet I can manage." As soon as the words left my mouth, Amaya was gone. I gaped, glancing around for her. I caught of glimpse of blue up ahead, dozens of trees away. Dang! Attempting to keep my dignity as a male, I pushed myself forward, vaulting from branch to branch, trying to catch up with her. She was girl, for gods' sakes! And carrying a half-grown teenager, no less. How'd she get over there so fast? I couldn't help but think that if I arrived in the Village this far behind her, I'd never hear the end up it. Call me sexist, but no way in hell was I going to lose to some girl.

In the end, it was tie. I'm sure I could've won if I hadn't been traveling hard for almost two days straight, but then, she _was_ carrying Akihiro. I didn't want to think about how it would've turned out if she had nothing to slow her down. I doubt I'd have been able to keep her in sight. I was tired enough as it was. We were deep in the forest, surrounded by trees that had probably been around since the beginning of life. They were certainly tall enough. I couldn't even see the canopy from where we ran. Just ridged, knobby trunks reaching into the dimness above. I knew for a fact that it was day—it was barely past lunchtime as my stomach grumpily reminded me—but the trees blocked all but the brightest sunrays, creating a sort of eternal twilight. It cast dark shadows over everything, giving the landscape an eerie look to it. The best I could compare it to was the "Forest of Death" where I'd taken the second part of the Chuunin exams, but these trees still dwarfed any I'd ever seen.

Huge, gnarled roots stretched like fingers over the ground, ready to trip unsuspecting travelers—hidden from view until it was almost too late by bright ferns and twisting vines. Luckily, we were still pretty far above the ground. There were so many trees, tangled where they'd grown over each other, that there were braches every few feet. The back of my neck prickled. It felt as if something was watching me from the looming figures of the old trees.

We were approaching the village now, after Amaya had taken us all over the mountain and back. It took me a minute to see that the walls of the village were made of wood, not concrete or metal. They were live trees, growing twisted over each other; the trunks of each so close to the next that there was no visible way to get in. I turned to Amaya, my gaze questioning. She just laughed, shifted Akihiro to get a better grip, and dropped to the forest floor below. By the time I did the same, she was standing next to a root that was taller than me, one of the trees that made up a part of the wall; her hand resting on its bark. I watched in interest as I felt her chakra flare three times in brief succession.

A deep groan of shifting timber, and a dark stairway appeared leading under the tree. I said nothing, following Amaya into the unlit passageway. It had occurred to me long ago that this could be a trap, and the fact that she chose such a concealed entry instead of going through a main gate had every nerve in my body tingling. Trying to be inconspicuous, I readied myself for some kind of ambush or fight. My pupils dilated, attempting to adjust to the light—or lack of. Apparently, she wasn't concerned about me attacking from behind. I realized that I'd stopped a few steps in and forced my feet to keep moving. My instincts had me on my guard; I hated the thought of being trapped underground. I looked back once or twice, only to see the rectangle of dim light growing smaller and smaller as we progressed deeper into the earth. The last time, when I looked for the entrance and couldn't find it, I had to stop my breath from hitching in my throat. I fought to keep my breathing even and regular, my heartbeat steady. I would not let Amaya find any sort of weakness in me. I could still make out her hazy outline six feet away.

My head snapped up immediately, searching my surroundings. It should be pitch black in here, how could I still see? The walls were hard packed dirt, held up by a support system of natural roots. Water dripped into small puddles here and there, encouraging fuzzy green moss to grow in patches. A faint glow directed my attention to a bunch of glowing mushrooms. Yes, you heard me. Glowing. Mushrooms. The tops were giving off a softly colored light. It wasn't much, but it lit the tunnel enough so you could see where you were going. After deciding that they posed no threat, I grew thankful for the light. Tripping over rocks and stray roots wasn't going to help me appear strong and intimidating, especially when my female guide was striding smoothly forward as if she'd done this a thousand times. And she probably had. We'd been walking in a straight line for about ten minutes now. Just how far into the village were we going? My senses still straining for any hint of a trap, I continued on.

Gradually the path sloped upwards and we came to another door. This one was definitely not trying to blend in. It was thick, metal, and had a lock that looked nearly impossible to pick. It was too bad, because my days of skulking around Konoha before I became a ninja had given me numerous skills that allowed me to get around unseen. To my surprise, when Amaya reached for the handle, it was already unlocked. She stepped through the doorway, blinding me with light as she held it open for me. I hesitated, blinking furiously and unable to see.

The door opened into an alleyway, complete with a dead end and a rusty dumpster.

I took a deep breath, grateful for a lungful of fresh, clean air after being stuck in that musty passageway.

Amaya didn't give me a chance to do more than glance at the Sound Village, but it was enough. This time I didn't stop my mouth from opening slightly as I stared in wonder around me. For most parts, the Village looked normal; it had shops and markets and a library and what looked like a ninja academy. Groups of muddy-kneed kids darting after a ball, people stopped to chat and catch up on the latest gossip. But what made my eyes go wide was the majority of the buildings: they were above the street, built against the trees like real-life tree houses. There were even rope bridges stretching across the gaps, swaying slightly in the wind. The buildings street-level seemed to be mostly civilian businesses and warehouses.

This was proving to be a very interesting mission. I couldn't wait to get a look around. My feet were itching to let me wander around, see as much of this weird Village as possible.

We stopped too soon for my liking, in front of a wide flight of stairs carved up and around a tree. Wide white letters on the front windows of building proclaimed it be the "Best Inn in Otogakure."

"This is where most of the newcomers stay until they get their own place or are given one. Just register at the front desk; they'll get you anything you need. After that, you can check out the village. Most places are open to the public, you're free to check them out."

Translation: don't go sticking your nose in top-secret ninja hideouts. I just nodded, vowing to scout out all the private locations the first chance I got.

I grabbed the handle, intending to go right in, but then I paused. Shouldn't I say thanks or something? I mean, she had escorted me into village; it would have been nearly impossible without her. But when I turned, a "thank you" on my lips, she was already gone. Shrugging, I went in.

After a little friendly chatting with the clerk, I got the key and made my way to my room on the fourth floor. It was at the very end of the hallway, around the corner and out of the way. Perfect. I unlocked the door and shut it behind me, breathing in the typical clean, sterile scent of decent hotels.

The décor was nice, all in shades of greens and browns. It was fairly large, but considering the price I'd paid, that was to be expected. It had a small kitchen area with dining table that led into a living room of sorts. A couch sat against one wall, and T.V. on the other. I admired it for a moment (who woulda thought they'd have cable way out here?) before entering the bedroom. I barely spared my surroundings a glance before dumping my pack and collapsing on the bed, too tired even to change my clothes.

As I drifted off, my thoughts shifted to the person I'd avoided thinking for the past six or so years. Sasuke. And then I was asleep, a sad smile gracing my lips.

.::xxXxx::.

I sat, cloaked in shadows, on a throne in the back of the room. I was mediating, still as stone and just as impassive. My breath was inaudible, shallow to the point of not breathing at all. Dark bangs bordered a pale face, more beautiful than handsome.

Onyx eyes snapped open, focusing on the doors at the front of the long, torch-lit room. A second later, a knock reverberated from the room. "Enter."

The command was a soft hiss, but it echoed around the room as if I'd called out. A blue-haired woman slipped in, shut the door gently behind her, and knelt before the man to whom she had sworn allegiance.

"My lord, another missing-nin has come to the village." She paused, not meeting my eyes. She didn't have to; my silence spoke for me. _And . . . ? What's so important that makes you grace me with your presence tonight?_

"He's . . . different from the others. There's something about him . . ." The woman shook her head; unable to describe the uneasy feeling the Cloud-nin had given her. Then her brow furrowed, as if she'd decided to get on with the report instead of rambling on about unidentifiable feelings that likely held no meaning. "He's at jounin level or higher, but I wasn't able get a good look at his jutsus or skills. He seems to be from Kumogakure; he's got the headband and the appearance. He says his name is Rai. Just Rai. It's probably an alias."

I watched her swallow nervously, probably afraid that I was going to punish her for not obtaining much information. It was a thought, but if she'd been able to offer any more, she would have. She was too scared not to.

"Continue to monitor him. Report anything unusual to me." My rough voice sent shivers down her spine, but I decided to be merciful (as merciful as I ever was) and didn't make it angry. She bowed her heard and rose to leave.

"Amaya."

The kuniochi stopped, slowly turning to face my. I tilted my head slightly, and without thinking, she met my eyes. Blood-red orbs with spinning black spokes froze her in place. Her eyes widened, heart beating in her chest as she stared at the deadly Sharingan my eyes had bled to in half a second. A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek. I really loved these eyes.

"Make sure Akihiro doesn't get out again, will you? You _know_ I don't like it when he kills the villagers in his rages."

Somehow, the light, almost friendly tone frightened Amaya more than my usual commanding one. It was promise of pain; a hint of danger to remind her just who she served. She clenched her jaw. She should have known I would know. I knew everything that went on in my village—and she was a fool to try and hide it from me. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama," She murmured, and backed hurriedly from the room.

The doors shut with bang, but I remained still, staring at nothing. Slowly, the edges of my lips pulled up into a smirk.

_._.::xxXxx::.

**A/N: **So . . . What'd you think? Review and let me know! If I missed some spelling or some other mistake, sorry. Just tell me and I'll fix it when I can. Anyway, first chapter done and up. I don't know when I'll finish the next one, but hopefully it will be soon.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Not too sure how this will end up, regarding pairings. I've never written yaoi before, but if I could I'd make it SasuNaru. For now, I'll just see where the plot takes me.

I'm a sporadic updater. I try to write every day, but I spend a lot of time on my writing—I want it as good as it's gonna get before I post it here. Anyway, reviewing will make me write faster. *dodges spork thrown at author* Only if you want to, of course. He he.

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**Chapter 2:**

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The dawn of my second day in Otogakure found me strolling down the dusty street, gazing around—or rather, up at—the village like a gaping tourist. It was hard not to—the quick view I'd gotten last night in the fading sunlight hadn't done it justice. Simply put, it was amazing. Instead of chopping down all the trees and clearing out the land to establish foundations and construct buildings, Orochimaru had built buildings up around the immense trunks and supported by limbs in many places. Spacious decks provided places for shinobi (or the brave civilians who managed to climb all those stairs without chakra; poor things) to socialize. Lofty rope bridges stretched taut over my head, most wide enough for as many as fifteen people to walk across side by side. Eyes wide with glee, I couldn't help but be reminded of a giant jungle gym. All that was missing was a swing-set and a plastic slide.

Being stuck on the ground with the rest of the non-ninjas was just not going to do.

I spotted the nearest set of stairs, but one look at the thousands of steps had me forming hand seals. So much easier to just poof myself up there. It made me grateful that the Inn I was staying at was one of the closest to the ground, even though it was still a couple floors up; I couldn't waste chakra to get there using jutsu every time. I could almost hear my thighs screaming insults at me for condemning them to such torture, but hey, at least I'd get a lot of exercise in the coming months.

In a swirl of misty clouds and chakra-smoke, I arrived on what seemed like the main level of the tree house. Some heads turned in my direction, but looked away after a couple seconds. They must be pretty used to random people popping up instead of walking. Heh. I straightened, strolling down the boardwalk like I knew exactly where I was going.

.::xxXxx::.

Lifting one hand up to shade my face, I squinted into the sun to check my location. Quite a feat, since I was currently hanging upside-down with the other hand and some chakra to keep me in place. The last couple of hours had been exciting at first, like sightseeing, but then my scouting took on a more serious edge. With a sigh, I rolled my body up and onto the tree branch. The village was set up with the tallest, oldest trees in the center, which was where I was guessing Orochimaru's base was hidden. The security was tighter the closer you got to it, and there were lookout towers and guards stationed in intervals in that area, as well as the main walls surrounding the village.

I can't go any further than this, I decided. The security was too good for me to get in without a convincing disguise or a legitimate reason. I would have to observe some more, learn how the guards did their jobs and figure out some loopholes in the system. That was fine—I had plenty of time. Relaxing, I slumped against the wood, finding an oddly comfortable spot where the limb met the trunk.

The sun had traveled across the sky and was reuniting with the horizon as it always did. It wasn't dark yet, but the tree I resting in blocked a lot of the remaining sunshine and shaded my eyes. I slowly let them slide shut, watching the world with a sleepy, half-lidded gaze that did nothing to betray my alertness. I couldn't let my guard down. I'd been trailed all day by at least three ninja, I knew that much. But Orochimaru had some skilled shinobi on his hands, 'cause I hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of any of them.

The sudden presence of chakra nearby nearly spurred me to my feet, kunai in hand, but I reigned in the instincts and settled for lazily shifting my head to the left to nod at the blue-haired kunoichi. I wasn't surprised, not really. I had been expecting some kind of interrogation since I arrived. Frankly, I hadn't thought they'd let me enter their precious village without one.

"Hiya—Rai, was it? You don't mind answering a coupla questions for me, do ya? No? 'Course ya don't."

I just looked at her, doing my best to seem friendly and harmless. I even smiled my dazzling smile, but it didn't seem to have quite the same effect when it wasn't paired with bright blond hair and big blue eyes. That was too bad.

"Basically, where are you from and why did you leave? What was your previous profession?"

"I came from Kumogakure. I was a jounin there." Not ANBU, because I didn't know their secrets, and I wouldn't have sold out my second home even if I did. Jounin were safer. "I left the Cloud Village because of a . . . misunderstanding between the Raikage and I. It was going to turn bloody quickly unless one of us gave, and I chose to bow out gracefully before I did something I would regret." It didn't sound false because it wasn't. I had indeed left the Hidden Cloud Village with the Raikage's pet shinobi chasing me out.

"A jounin? Can you elaborate on that? How many missions have you gone on anyway?"

"111 D-rank, 193 C-rank, 217 B-rank, 178 A-rank, 16 S-rank. I've led a team occasionally and work well with others, but most of my work has been solo. I was going to be assigned a genin team before I left, but because of the situation, it never worked out."

"Why did you come here? To Oto?"

"I heard about it years ago, before it became a Great Shinobi Country. It was the first place I thought of when I deserted. I wasn't sure where the village was, so I just wandered around until you and that kid found me. Hey—whatever happened to him anyway?"

Okay, so maybe a tough ninja shouldn't care about some half-pint brat that tried to fight him once, but I couldn't get the image out of my head of him glaring at me, surrounded by flames. It was his eyes—they reminded me of me, somehow.

Predictably, Amaya brushed off the inquiry—"Don't worry about it. He was taken care of." Why do I get the feeling Akihiro's not doing so well right about now? Amaya tilted her head, watching me closer. "Do you have any plans or wishes for the future?"

I snorted, amused. Here was the point where Naruto Uzumaki would loudly and confidently announce that he was going to be the next Hokage. Rai the missing-nin just shrugged a bit. "I'm fine with pretty much anything." I didn't know it at the time, but those words were going to come back to bite me where it hurts real bad.

"I see," was all Amaya said.

After a moment's silence, in which I did nothing but blink at her, Amaya rolled her eyes and motioned for me to rise. "Come on then. We've got orders from the top. It's time to introduce you to some other shinobi." A shiver of unease at her words had me assessing her words and actions, trying to guess what exactly she meant.

I stretched languidly and followed her, noting she was leading me away from the main, busy part of the village. The sun was almost gone now, but the darkness did not hinder my vision. My night-vision was better than most; one of the many perks of having an all-powerful, thousand year-old fox demon sealed into your mind.

I couldn't tell where we were going. Amaya was much faster than me, even though I could tell she was holding back, and I was forced to concentrate solely on keeping her in sight. I didn't have the time to try to memorize where we'd been, but something told me the route we were taking was the long way anyway.

Amaya didn't stop until we were at the very outskirts of the village. I dropped down to the street after her, my body tense with foreboding. Abandoned warehouses rose up around us, trash along the sidewalks rustled in the wind. We were shrouded in shadows, the only working streetlight flickering weakly at the end of the block. If it hadn't been for the Kyuubi, I would barely be able to see anything. It didn't get past me that this would be the perfect place for an ambush. I widened my eyes anyway and peered around me as if it was too dark for my eyes. There was no sense to alerting her that I could make out the slightest details of my surroundings.

My sensitive nose caught a whiff of a scent that made me wrinkle my face in distaste. I knew that scent well. I turned my head, searching the shadowed doorways for the form to match to the smell. My eyes locked on the man that stepped out of the warehouse beside us. I'm undercover, I reminded myself. I can't tear his face off because I'm not supposed to know him.

Kabuto reached up to push his glasses up his nose, staring at me with a smirk that made me want to bare my teeth and growl. I bet he wouldn't be arrogant if he could see the real identity of the man standing before him in a darkened street at night. Last time we'd crossed paths, I'd knocked him with one blow.

"Good job, Amaya. I'll take him from here," He said. Even if I hadn't been looking at his face, I still would have noticed that smirk by the tone of his voice.

Take me? What was that about? I glanced at Amaya. She frowned briefly. She looked at me, and then looked away just as quickly when she met my eyes. She didn't seem to like Kabuto either, but it was obvious she wasn't going to argue with him. If things were the same as before, Kabuto was probably still Orochimaru's right-hand man.

Kabuto went into the warehouse, looking back over his shoulder at me. "Follow me," He commanded, exasperated. I didn't like where this was going. He flicked silver bangs out of his eyes, waiting for me to stop stalling and obey.

But I'd had enough of staying quiet and meek. I could only keep up my act for so long. The real Naruto had to slip out sometime. "Hold on. What's going on? And is it really too much to ask to introduce yourself?" I narrowed my eyes, cautiously facing Kabuto. As much as I was sure I could take him in a fight, I also knew that the medic-nin could sever muscle from bone or disable charka in an instant. Talented freak.

"You'll find out soon enough. I'm Kabuto. Now, if you'll follow me . . ." Kabuto raised his eyebrows, impatient as he pointed ahead of him. I glowered, but I wasn't going to get anywhere standing here and asking questions. I might was well find out what was going on. I moved through the doorway after Kabuto, melting with ease into the gloomy dark. As I did, I though I heard Amaya's soft murmur, too quiet for Kabuto's ears.

"Good luck."

I didn't pause to wonder about the whispered comment.

In seconds, we turned a corner and emerged into a huge room. And by huge, I mean like _how-the-hell-could-an-underground-stadium-fit-into-a-normal-size-building_ huge. That was literally what it was. We were standing on a ledge, overlooking the area below. From up there, I could see splotches and stains in the sand covered ground that looked suspiciously similar to old, dried blood. I showed no surprise on my carefully composed face; I could feel Kabuto's scrutinizing gaze on me. I didn't look at him.

There was tingle of warning down my spine, a feather-light brush of wind that was out of place in the still air. Not thinking, I reacted. My arms swung up in a cross to block the kick at my chest. I skidded backwards, ignoring the throbbing from the force of the blow. There was no time to attack, just counter as another kick landed on my forearms. With a twist of my wrist, I grasped Kabuto's ankle and swung him around. Unsurprisingly, he landed on his feet. I waited in a crouch, but he just straightened up and let that irritatingly conceited smirk cover his face.

"Seems like you're competent enough," Kabuto drawled. He cocked his head, watching me in a way that made my skin crawl. "This is the first step to becoming an official Sound-nin. An initiation test, if you will."

He waved his hand at the arena below. Carefully, I looked to see what he was pointing at. During our brief clash, nine wide doors had opened along the sides. As I watched, one ninja emerged from each, walking to stand near the middle of the huge battleground. I had a nasty feeling I knew what was coming next.

"Including you, there are nine other shinobi. They have already been informed of the test: a free-for-all battle. Last ninja standing wins. There are no other rules. As of now, you have two choices: You may go ahead and fight, or you may choose to be escorted out of the village. You must understand," Kabuto pushed his glasses farther up his nose again, "that should you choose to go, we will be forced to remove all memories of your stay here in Otogakure. So . . . Rai. Which will it be?"

My heart beat rapidly, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I clenched my hands into fists, then forced them to relax as soon as I felt my palms sting from pressing my nails into them. So that was it, eh? I'd been expecting some sort of test or fight. They probably just wanted to see if we could fight, see our jutsus. But nine other opponents—that was a bit much. I couldn't let it bother me. I'd do whatever it took to complete this mission.

Without another moment's hesitation, I grabbed the railing and swung myself over, dropping a distance that would have killed lesser men. It didn't faze me.

I landed comfortably on all fours, not bothering to stand up as I surveyed the others. All I saw in the cold eyes watching me was plain, hardened ninja. These were no chuunin. Danzou could have trained them for all the emotion I saw. Which was exactly none. It reminded me of Sai, and everything he'd gone through under Danzou's command. But these people weren't like my teammate. I couldn't change them with some words and well-aimed punches. I didn't really want to kill them, but there was nothing I could do about that.

Despite my reservations, I was actually looking forward to the challenge. I could never back down from a little competition. As the first few ninjas made their moves, I let a feral grin show my pointed canines, knowing that along with the position I was still in, it would unnerve at least some of them.

I was so going to win.

.::xxXxx::.

Panting, I wiped the sweat out of my eyes, not noticing that the action smeared a streak of blood across my _un_whiskered face. My hand tightened around the kunai I held. I held my breath, then it out in a shuddering sigh, trying to slow the rapid pounding in my chest.

Slowly, a satisfied grin slipped over my lips. The ground was littered with motionless bodies. Widening puddles of blood splattered all around me, the crimson liquid dripping off my weapon to make yet another. I waited a moment, but it seemed the fight was really over. It had taken a while, but I had dispatched each and every one of the nine ninja.

I raised my arms over my head, stretching out the weary muscles. I winced as I felt the wounds along my arm and back. They hurt pretty badly now, but they would be healed by morning. I tried not to show it, but the fight had taken a lot out of me. All I wanted to do now was collapse onto the bed back at the hotel. Unfortunately, there was still that slimy medic to deal with. I could sense him around here, watching me. I wondered what he thought of the fight.

Impatient as always, I shouted, "Oi! Kabuto! Fight's over, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Indeed," Kabuto stated dryly. I whirled to find him right behind me. "Nicely done." I didn't reply. My silver eyes fixed on his, waiting. There had to be something else. I mean, no way Konoha would just let any missing-nin who wandered by become Leaf shinobi just by winning a fight.

As if reading my mind, Kabuto spoke up. "You may go back to the hotel now. You're going to need the rest. Someone will be along to get you in a couple days."

It was a clear dismissal, one that made me clench my teeth to stop from protesting_. I just defeated nine top-notch ninja for your little "test" and then you tell me to get lost?! Arg!_ But I was tired. I wouldn't feel comfortable around anyone until I stored up my chakra again. If I was attacked now, my chances of winning a tough battle without resorting to using the Kyuubi were pretty low.

So I just glared, nodded, and disappeared.

.::xxXxx::.

When I was sure the Cloud ninja had left, I bent to collect one of the bodies. I couldn't just leave them here; they'd have to be disposed of. Despite myself, I was disconcerted at the apparent ease with which he'd won the battle. I was now absolutely sure he was a skilled jounin. _Powerful. Now if we can ensure his loyalty . . ._

My hand grasped the first body's arm, intending to fling it over my shoulder. I froze when I felt a tentative _thump-thump _under my fingers. Sure I was imagining things, I pressed my forefinger to his neck, checking his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

Rai hadn't killed this one. An error, or was it on purpose?

A weak groan issued from the man's mouth as I let him drop from my arms. With sudden suspicion, I hurried to check the other corpses. Sure enough, not a single one was dead. After examining them all, I just stood for a moment, trying to decide what that meant.

Every injury, every hit, was meant to dispatch, not kill. They were all in pretty bad condition, but nothing life-threatening. Unconscious. As a medic, I was thoroughly impressed. It was much, much more difficult to disarm that many jounin without really hurting them than it was to simply kill them. Most ninja would hear the words "free-for-all battle" and "last standing wins" and kill their opponents without a second thought. In the ninja world, you couldn't afford to have second thoughts. It would get you killed.

I had intended for the battle to be to the death, but Rai had seen that loophole and dived right through it. Honestly though, I wasn't complaining. All it meant for me was more test subjects. And there had been one or two ninja out of the group that might be worth adding to the ranks. It would have been a waste of new talent.

So the question remained: was Rai softhearted, or was he aiming to show me how skilled he was? I couldn't say for sure.

But certainly, Amaya had been right to warn Orochimaru. There _was_ something different about this one.

.::xxXxx::.

_Blood._

_It was everywhere._

_Thick, crimson liquid. Coating my hands. Splashing my face._

_All around me. Blood. Hers._

_Clawed hands clutch at my head, scratching furrows in my skin as I furiously try to wipe it away._

_It . . . won't . . . come off . . ._

_Get it OFF!_

_I scream._

_A roar echoes my fury in my head._

_My own blood trickles down to merge with hers._

_Hers._

_Through slitted red eyes, I see the broken body before me._

_Shredded. Destroyed. Unrecognizable._

_I don't have to see. I can smell her._

_She's dead._

**Dead**_._

I bolted upright, gasping and wide-eyed. I fought the wild urges—remnants of the dream—that came one after another: Fight, flee, chase, kill. Do _something_. I felt the chakra in body responding, building up in preparation. My shoulders tensed, and my back arched. If I had fur, it would have been bristling all along my spine as I tried to get myself under control.

There was a faint, knowing rumble from inside my mind.

With a muttered curse, I stifled it. I couldn't afford to be ravaged by nightmares. Not now, and most certainly not here.

I shoved the eager chakra back where it came from, back to the demon who hadn't gotten out in years. It went reluctantly, leaving my body feeling strangely hollow in its wake. Once I was sure it was locked up nice and tight, I disentangled my limbs from the twisted sheets. _At least I didn't fall out of bed this time_. I shuffled over to the body-length mirror that hung from one wall. A relieved sigh slipped from my lips; silver eyes stared wearily back at me, not red like I'd half-expected.

I raise a hand to ruffle my unruly, spiky hair, only to be met with smooth, long locks. I sighed again. This was going to take some getting used to. The unkempt man in the mirror met my gaze and a yawn split his face. At the same time, a fierce growl gurgled in my stomach. Grinning sheepishly at my reflection, I dressed in some clean clothes and snatched my wallet from my pack.

It was time for breakfast.

Over the last couple of days, I'd become familiar with most of the village, particularly the food districts. Hey—a guy's gotta eat to keep up his strength, right? The fact that the only ramen bar's owner and cook already knew me by name was insignificant. Ramen had, and always would be, my main source of nourishment. Anyone who tells you that ramen isn't one of the food groups is either drunk or lying. So, naturally, I'd scouted out the place on my first trip to get something to eat. I didn't feel the need to hide my love for the noodley meal—no one here knew, and I doubted Orochimaru cared about my favorite food, much less kept tabs on who visited which restaurants.

Sadly, it didn't even come close to comparing to Ichiraku's ramen, but maybe that was to be expected. Leaf Village had the best everything, so you can assume the food's awesome as well. I plopped down on the stool, waving to the elderly women who owned the bar. She sent a toothy grin my way and began to make my usual, not bothering to ask me.

Breathing in the ambrosial fumes of cooking ramen, I absently kicked the metal bar of the stool in a light, mindless beat. I observed the bustling village from the shade of the bar, relaxed instead of on guard as I usually was. Small children chased each other in the streets, tailed by yipping puppies, threading through the crowd like experts. A smile tugged at my lips as I watched the shortest, dirtiest boy finally tackle the one in the lead—a well-dressed boy with squinty eyes.

"Here you are, Rai dear." A steamy bowl set in front of me quickly stole the spotlight from the kids. I split my chopsticks, gave the cook a hasty thank-you, and dug in with a fervor that was second only to when I fought.

After fifteen bowls or so—a light breakfast, really—I decided to walk around the village for a while. I didn't have anywhere to be. Patting my stomach contentedly, I let myself be swept away by the mass of busy villagers. I wasn't heading to a certain place. It was much easier just to go with flow, avoiding the occasional good-laden cart, or box-juggling shopper.

When I first became aware that there was someone following me—close behind, not from a distance like the others—I did nothing. After five more blocks, three right turns, and two stops to look at some merchant's wares I didn't really want, I was forced to conclude that they were either very bad at tailing unnoticed, or they wanted to get me alone.

No reason to delay the inevitable. I ducked into the next empty alley that I came to, put my back to wall, and waited.

I didn't wait long. Within five minutes, a hooded figure slipped in after me. I couldn't see the person's face, but an unfamiliar male voice, brisk and business-like, said, "Former Cloud shinobi Rai, you are to proceed to the Missions office straightaway." He held out a scrap of paper. I could see an address scribbled on it. Narrowing my eyes, I made no move to take the paper. "Amaya-sensei instructed me to give this to you, as you are new to Otogakure and wouldn't know how to get there."

Was there a hint of exasperation in his voice? I didn't care. Being paranoid had saved my life more than once. But now that he mentioned it, I could detect a faint trace of her scent on the paper. I took the paper, discreetly running a current of chakra through it as it touched my fingertips to disable any traps. Better safe than sorry. The man (teen?) jutsu'ed away as soon as it left his hand, as if ready to be done with his errand.

I crushed the directions in my hand, having already memorized the line of script. It was near here—I'd probably passed it on my way to get ramen. Tossing paper wad into the conveniently placed dumpster, I merged back into the crowd.

The mission scroll in hand, I exited the building. I was not sure how I felt about it. Pausing on the boardwalk to lean against the railing, I glanced down at the crowded street below.

"My first mission as a Sound ninja . . ."

How absurd. I never thought I'd be saying that. Even though it was a mission itself—for me to be a spy here—it was just _weird_. I let my eyes shut halfway, tilting my head as I stared in the direction of Konoha. My _home_. It made me wonder.

Had Sasuke ever thought of Konoha as home? Or had he abandoned all such thoughts after the slaughter of his family?

Did this strangely _normal_ village become his home, in the very end?

Or worse, before he died . . . did Sasuke feel there was truly no place on earth he could return to? No one?

My eyes shut all the way, imagining him. Not as the cold snake's apprentice, but as the proud, arrogant boy I remembered. I guess what I really wanted to know was . . .

Did Sasuke ever stand right here, in this spot, look back to his old village—and think about the best friend he'd left behind?

.::xxXxx::.

**A/N:** Thanks so much to **dragonfire04**, **roseearered**, and **star286** for being the first to review. I know I took a while getting it up, but I had a few wrinkles in the plot to work out. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hopefully you guys will enjoy this one. It's got a surprise in it. *evil chuckle* I delayed it a bit cuz I was struck with an idea for a one-shot with Sakura—you can read it on my profile page. It's called "The Stars Don't Shine Anymore."

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**Chapter 3: **Surprise

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_This is busy village,_ I mused. I leaned against the corner of a shop, nonchalantly scouting the place out.

It wasn't even a village, more of a small town really. It struck me as a place stuck comfortably behind in the times. The market place was filled with farmers and fishers, garbed in what were clearly peasant clothes. Noises blended together in a pleasant symphony; bartering voices, clucking chickens, horses clopping down the street, the _snick_ of a knife in the stand next to me, and endless shuffling of feet. It had a quaint, pleasant feel to it, but it was clearly not a tourist attraction. It seemed like a type of place where everyone knew everyone else's cousin's boyfriend's sister, and was married to her dad's niece's brother.

The smell of raw fish and salt pervaded the air, wafting in from the nearby ocean on the constant breeze. This place seemed to get most of its income from fishing, which wasn't surprising seeing as it was on the coast. It was located one of the nameless, non-shinobi countries bordering Konoha. It had taken me a good week to get here, skirting around the Land of Fire. As much as I would've loved the chance to go through my own country, the Leaf ninja would not like an apparent rogue Cloud-nin trespassing.

The middle of town was relatively well off, but as I wandered towards the outskirts, neat houses became wooden huts and shacks. It wasn't long before I came to the outermost region. Trash spilled out of ripped garbage bags, scattered across alleys by skinny, mangy-looking dogs. Late tonight, drunks would stagger home from the bars where they'd been drinking away their poverty for a night, but the late afternoon sun saved me the trouble of avoiding them just yet.

A rustling on my right drew my eyes, but I averted them just as quickly. My eyes flickered back against my will, taking in details even as I distanced myself from the sight. It was a little kid, huddled against an empty doorway, wearing nothing but a pair of tattered pants. A mop of tangled hair covered his hopeless face, so filthy that it was impossible to tell the original color.

He didn't look up as I walked by.

I didn't look back.

I was on a mission. I had no time for the unfortunate homeless brats that loitered on every other street in towns like these.

_Aha_! This was the street I had to turn on. I continued on for a bit, searching each building I passed for the right address. My destination was an ancient antique shop, but way out here, I was guessing they didn't get many customers. The windows of many of the shops were broken or boarded over. The few with intact glass were so grimy that it was impossible to see inside. Finally, I looked up to see the faded paint over the door, telling me this was the place I was searching for.

I pushed the barred door open, immediately breathing in the scent of _old_. A faint tinkling of bell announced my arrival. My sensitive could make out the scent of polished wood, book pages yellow with age, and a dusty, musty hint of something else I couldn't name. It was the aroma of untold stories, mystery and broken secrets. It wasn't at all unpleasant, and I took another deep breath, just because. I wasn't a bookish person by any means (I'd much rather be out training or on a mission) but I couldn't deny that the place appealed to me. Furniture, elegant and sleek, lined the shop in rows. I glimpsed a counter and cash register peeking out from behind a tall, dark-wooded dresser. Bookshelves took up the rest of the space, sagging under the weight of carefully maintained aging tomes. Leather spines of all, combined with each distinct size and shape, made a myriad of different books.

"Hello?" I turned to notice a balding, middle-aged man in civilian clothes poke his head around a bookshelf. Seeing me, his eyes lit up with glee. I couldn't almost imagine what he was thinking: 'Is it really a customer?' "I thought I heard the bell ring! Welcome! Come in, come in."

He seemed friendly enough. If I hadn't known better, I never would have suspected him of being Sound's spy. "I'm not here to buy, sir," I told him politely. "I'm here on—business."

The man's demeanor shifted as he frowned. The previous, cheerful, welcoming shop owner veneer was almost completely gone. In it's place, sharp, suspicious eyes and a slight frown. "Right this way," he said, leading me past the books and furniture and register and through a hallway, into back room marked "employee's only". As far as I could tell, the man and I were the only people here.

I didn't speak as he shut the door firmly behind him and told me to take a seat. I said I'd stand, thanks. The man shrugged, sitting himself behind a desk that took up a good portion of the small room. Watching him cautiously, I sent a flare of chakra around the room. It was invisible, but I felt it ripple from me a like breeze brushing calm water. The man twitched, reacting no matter how insignificantly to something only a ninja could feel. He narrowed his eyes at me, and it was my turn to shrug.

In addition to proving he'd had at least some basic training, the chakra told me that there were not jutsus cast anywhere near here that would allow the caster to listen in on our conversation. I nodded, satisfied, and looked to the man. "Are you Nakagawa?"

"Who wants to know?" Nakagawa questioned.

Instead of replying, I slipped a small scroll from the side pocket of my pants, flipped it into the air once. It landed in my hand, right side up. I held it out to Nakagawa. His face said clearly he didn't trust me, but he took it. The scroll was about the length of his hand, gray with black borders, and had the same music note found on Sound shinobi headbands. Although I hadn't tried to open the scroll that was given to me at the Missions office (with orders not to open it), I knew that there was some type of seal to prevent anyone but Nakagawa reading it.

"You're from Oto then?" Nakagawa sounded more relaxed now, having recognized the scroll. "I was expecting someone to be along in the next few days. Never seen you before though. Are you the new contact?"

I didn't know the answer to that. This was my first mission; I didn't know whether this was a one-time thing or if I would be coming back here regularly—presuming the mission went well, of course. Playing it safe, I merely inclined my head in his direction. He could interpret it how he wanted.

Nakagawa unrolled and read the scroll, his expression blank. It gave me no clues to what could have been on it. It could be Orochimaru's grandma's recipe for chocolate chip cookies for all I knew. I smirked at the thought.

After muttering indistinct words under his breath, Nakagawa went over to his desk and pulled out one of the drawers. I heard various objects being shuffled around, clinking as he searched for something. "Ah, here you are. They'll be wanting this, I presume," he exclaimed triumphantly. The happy shop owner was back. With the excited air of a child graciously giving a long-awaited present, Nakagawa handed me a different scroll, this one heavier and thicker in diameter.

A nasty shock to my fingers, like I'd been electrocuted, almost made me drop the scroll before I could shove it into a pocket. I wouldn't try to open that one, either, I decided.

My mission (as an Oto ninja) was officially over. All I had to do now was return to the Sound Village.

"So," I said casually, thinking that I might as well try to find out something about Sound's spy while I was here, "how long have you had this job?"

"Oh, I don't know. Six years, seven? When you're my age, son, the years tend to blend." I glanced at him sharply. I'd pegged him to be forty or fifty, but maybe I had misjudged.

Probably sensing my confusion by the look on my face, Nakagawa chuckled; a deep rumbled that shook his slightly overweight belly. "Yessir, this ol' shop was born the same time I was, and that was just shy of eighty years ago."

I shook my head, smiling slightly in disbelief. "You don't look it."

The shopkeeper just laughed again, eyes twinkling. "I like you boy—you're okay."

I didn't know how to respond to that in an unNaruto-ish fashion, so I didn't. I let the cocky grin I'd been containing flow smoothly over my face. The next twenty minutes or so was full of light bantering, and while I enjoyed myself, I enjoyed getting the tidbits of information thrown in even more.

.::xxXxx::.

Cold.

It was so cold.

I shivered, pulling the ragged, hole-riddled blanket closer around my shoulders. It smelt a bit, of rotten food and old garbage, but it helped keep away the bite of the wind. I was lucky to have found it at all; other, stronger boys claimed the dumpsters around here and it was rare to find anything of value after they'd done their scrounging.

A gust of wind sent an eerie whistling through the streets. Bits of free trash rustled along the ground, setting my imagination free with images of monsters and feral animals and ghosts. It wasn't that bad during the day, with the warm sun shining down like a distant friend that keep the scary things at bay, but the nighttime was a different story. The chill in the dark air and mist rolling in from the ocean just encouraged my mind to invent horrible creatures to explain odd shadows or weird noises.

I scooted backwards until my spine hit the rough wood of the door behind me. I rested my head on my knees, closing my eyes. I didn't want to see. Didn't want to admit that I was alone. The niche that was the doorway—no matter how shallow—made me feel a little more protected. It was the best shelter I could get around here. I slept here every night, curled up against the door.

It had always been this way—I couldn't remember a time when didn't live on the streets. Begging and stealing, they were second nature to me. So was going days without food. I did not know why it was like this, but there was nothing I could do. It was all I'd ever known.

I felt a prickling behind my eyes, and tears made a trail through the grime coating my face. I didn't open my eyes. One dirt encrusted hand raised to angrily smear them away. Crying didn't help. It never had. It was just annoying, the tears that—

Footsteps. Someone was watching me.

Goosebumps flared up on my arms and legs and the hair rose on the back of my neck. I was sure it wasn't just mind tricks this time. Shoes shuffled against the cobblestone, slowly moving in my direction. I waited, fear freezing me in place, for whoever it was to pass by.

They didn't.

The footsteps paused in front of the steps. It was quiet for a long time, and I gathered the courage to slowly, ever so slightly raise my head. A silhouette of a man in a long coat stood before me, just . . . standing there. I trembled. What did he want?

The stranger shifted, stepping closer. A beam of moonlight fell over his face, allowing me a glimpse of brilliant silver eyes and long, dark auburn hair.

For a moment, we were frozen that way, eye to eye: a skinny, unkempt orphan, and a handsome, reasonably well-dressed man.

"Hey there. Quite chilly tonight, don'tcha think?" The man asked, raising one hand in a cheerful little wave.

I couldn't believe it. No one (especially the ones with money) ever spared me more than a glance, much less stopped to chat. It must be some kind of trick, a trap for me to fall right into. He was teasing me, taunting me. Defiance flashed in my eyes. I straightened my shoulders and glared.

The man just smiled sadly. Scrutinizing my face, he reached one hand into his coat and pulled out a brown paper bag. The scent of hot chicken and rice invaded the air. Immediately my stomach betrayed me, rumbling as loud as it possibly could. I grimaced.

"Here—take it," The man ordered, his voice strong and authoritative. I took it without thinking. Only when the bag was warming my frozen fingers did I realize what it meant: he was giving me food! I stared at him in astonishment.

"W-why?" The words caught in my throat, hoarse with disuse.

The man was silent. Finally he replied, "'Cause someone cares." So softly, so intently, that I couldn't not believe him. Without another word, he turned and strolled unhurriedly down the sidewalk, hands in pockets, as if he had all the time in the world.

My hands shook with anticipation as I opened the bag. Inside was a pair of chopsticks a generous portion of steaming food. But on top—on top was enough money to feed me for weeks and a slip of paper with four words: _"Never give up hope."_

My head snapped up just in time to see the strange man completely vanish, leaving nothing in his wake but swirling mist and clouds.

.::xxXxx::.

The minute I arrived in the Sound Village I knew something important was going on. The civilians were normal for the most part—it was the ninjas who were acting differently. There was an air of excitement and celebration, mostly in the younger chuunin and some jounin. As I made my way to the Missions office, I picked up snippets of conversation here and there.

"-yes, little Kyo, he-"

"Can you believe it? Twelve already!"

"-said that she was taking him out for dinner. Can I, momma? Please?"

"Oh, alright. Just this once, to celebrate-"

"Ha! I told you I could-"

"-top of the class. We're so proud-"

By the time I reached the office, I was thoroughly curious. I looked for someone who seemed like they knew what was going on. I approached the last person in line (an unusually long line, sticking out of the office's door) and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, but did something happen today?"

A nondescript kuniochi glanced at me in surprise. "Today? You must not be from around here. The academy students graduated to genin today. Naturally, everyone else is trying to get a mission before they come flocking in."

I could imagine the jounin back in Konoha doing the same: Kakashi-sensei, Genma, Anko, and the rest, wanting to avoid the "pack of brats".

"Oh? Thanks," I said, turning away and pretty much ending the short conversation. It didn't concern me.

The line took forever; it was at least thirty minutes before I could even get inside the building. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say there was a lot of twitching, shifting, and sighing on my part. I wanted to scream at the people in front to get a move on, but I decided instead to do my best impersonation of a frustrated Neji. The uptight Hyuuga could make quite an impression when he was seriously pissed off.

When I finally reached the desk, the harassed-looking chuunin behind it demanded, "Name?"

"Rai."

"Rai?" The chuunin got a weird expression on his face when I confirmed my name with a nod. He checked the papers spread out in front of him, shuffling through them hastily. I got a paper shoved in my face, a frown, and a stern "You're to go see the Otokage immediately."

Eyes wide, I dazedly caught the paper before it could fall to the ground and tucked into my weapons pouch without looking at it. A cough from behind me made me step out of the way of the impatient ninja still waiting in line. See Orochimaru? So soon? What on earth for? Was it possible that I'd been found out? Casting a furtive glance around me, I searched for anyone watching me. Then I thought, _don't be stupid. They wouldn't summon you and warn you ahead of time. They would just swoop in and capture you for interrogation._ Which wasn't reassuring.

A deep breath, and I was out the of Missions office. Another breath, and I made my way to the tower I knew was located in the middle of the village. I hesitated on the threshold, internally debating what to do. But it wasn't as if I truly had a choice. If I didn't go, they would come and find me. And it would be much worse if they found out I had ignored an order from the Otokage.

So, for the first time, I entered the Otokage's Tower. The first room was spacious, circular, and completely empty, save for the two ninja that flanked the doorway. There was a hallway leading away to the back of the building. I could see stairs and an elevator to my right. Straight ahead, there was another desk and a secretary typing away at a computer. I could feel the guards' alert gazes boring into my back, but I walked up to the assistant and quietly told her I was here to see the Otokage. She didn't even look up at me. Her eyes remained firmly on the screen. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Um . . . I was told to see the Otokage by the chuunin in the Missions Office," I offered, not sure if that counted.

"You need an appointment." Apparently it didn't count.

"I'm sure that if you—"

"I can't let you in without an appointment."

"Look, could you just—"

"Rai?"

I wasn't relieved to see Kabuto, but it was a close thing. The medic was exiting the elevator, holding a folder. No doubt filled with extra-secret information. He took in the situation—me leaning forward, frowning, and the secretary that just stopped typing. "This way, please," he said.

"He doesn't have an appointment!" She protested. One sharp look from Kabuto quelled her objections at once. I followed Kabuto into the elevator. I guess that he didn't mind taking me to see the Otokage, even though that was probably where he had just come from. It didn't bother me—I had no idea where to go, and the secretary wasn't about to direct me.

The elevator ride was slightly awkward. Kabuto didn't say anything, and neither did I. I was relieved when the doors opened to the third floor with a chime. We were faced with thick, wooden double doors, just like the ones in the Hokage's office. It was then that it really hit me: Orochimaru was on the other side of those doors. And I was voluntarily going in to see him. I had to be crazy.

Kabuto knocked on the doors, waiting for the faint order, "Enter," before he held it open to me. I allowed myself one more second before I stepped inside. The office was bright, a result of the many windows throwing in sunshine. There were some potted plants lining the walls, and a large desk in the center. A man sat behind it.

"Lord Otokage," I bowed my head in greeting. Slowly, I raised my eyes to look at him. Before I could stop it, my breath rushed in in a half-gasp. There was a low chuckle, but I had already averted my gaze to the floor.

I didn't know why I had been expecting Orochimaru to look as he always did, but it was a major shock to see him sitting there in Sasuke Uchiha's body. He was exactly the same as I remembered: tall, broad shoulders not quite hidden underneath white kage robes, impossibly pale skin, and spiky black hair framing his face. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved that his eyes were hidden under the gray hat that went with the robes. I honestly couldn't say that I wouldn't attack him if I saw the snake bastard's golden eyes in that face.

"Ah, you must be Rai." It was a question. I didn't reply.

I can't tell you how sick it was to hear Orochimaru's voice coming from him. In that moment, I was thanking God for all the training I'd gone through in order to keep my emotions off face. If I had been the same idiot I was the last time I'd faced Orochimaru, my rage would have me leaping for his throat right now. As it was, I had to chanting "the mission, the mission" in my head, just in case. I couldn't do anything to make them suspicious. I was only Rai, the cloud ninja.

"Did the mission go smoothly?" he asked.

That reminded me—I'd been so preoccupied with being ordered to see the Otokage that I hadn't given up the scroll I'd gotten from Nakagawa. "It did," I said simply. "I never got the chance to deliver this." I pulled it out and forced my feet to moved closer to the desk. He didn't move to take it, so I set it on the desk and backed away again.

"Since you completed your first official mission, I think it's time to give you one of these," Orochimaru remarked. Kabuto came from behind me and in his hands was a headband with a single musical note on it. It was exactly like the ones worn by ninja around the village. I could still remember the first time I saw one of those headbands, the first time I saw a Sound ninja, in my chuunin exam.

I murmured, "Thank you," hoping there was some gratitude in my voice.

Both men's eyes seemed to bore into me as I untied the scratched Cloud headband from my forehead and replaced with the one I just received.

There was a rustling of white robes as Orochimaru leaned forward, his posture attentive. "Because of your rather unique talents, as observed by Kabuto, you are being assigned to a team of genin. You have experience leading a team, correct?"

I didn't hide the shock on my face. "Yes, sir," I assured him, my mind reeling a bit. This village sure had a strange way of running things! What was Orochimaru thinking, letting an almost unknown ninja mentor a couple of kids? Even though I'd been in Sound for a couple weeks now, how could they trust me enough to be such an impression on their next generation of ninja? But then again, the Hidden Sound village wasn't anything like the Hidden Leaf. Sound shinobi were mainly a motley assortment of rogues, unlike the many families and well-known clans I was used to.

"You should have picked up the information regarding your genin at the Mission's office," Orochimaru continued. I was guessing that was the paper currently crumpled into my weapons pouch. I really should have glanced at it before I came to the Tower.

"This will be your job until further notice. Questions? No? Good. You are dismissed. Kabuto will show you out."

That was my first meeting with the Otokage went. Frankly, I was just happy to get out in one piece. Despite my confidence in my abilities, there was still a tiny little part of me that was sure something would go wrong. Sure that I would be caught immediately, that I would be killed, or worse, subjected to Kabuto's sick experiments.

I didn't fully relax until I was blocks away from the Tower, headed towards a small park near the edge of town. I was going on autopilot as my mind tried to sort all the details I'd taken in that day:

One, I got the authentic Sound headband, signifying that Sound was now where my loyalties laid. My mission just got that much harder.

Two, the dead body of my friend was being used by one of the most dangerous ninja in the world. Somehow, the fact was never _real_ to me before I saw it with my own eyes. Sure, I knew all those years Sasuke was with Orochimaru were spent training to be a fit vessel, and I'd gone into a depression that lasted for months after I heard that I'd run out of time, but there must have still been a seed of hope inside me. Well, I was absolutely sure now. That seed had just died.

Last but not least, I was going to be the jounin teacher of a trio of enemy genin. How was I supposed to teach them sufficiently knowing the entire time that they might grow up to kill people I loved?

I collapsed with a heavy sigh on one of the many benches around the park. I stretch out my feet and lace my fingers behind my head. I close my eyes and block out all my thoughts, focusing instead on all my senses.

The first thing I noticed was that the wildflowers around me had a strong, sweet scent. I had no idea what they were. The next thing was the light brush of the breeze against my face, causing the few strands of hair that escaped my braid to tickle my cheek. The creak of a wooden swing stood out as well, along with the cries of delighted children and the soft laugh of their mother as she pushed them higher.

I exhaled reluctantly, opening my eyes as I did. There was no sense in delaying it; I pulled out the sheet of information and began to read.

Random phrases stuck out as I skimmed through, things like "_four-man squad of three genin and one jounin"_, _"balance of individual skills"_, and_ "D-rank and C-rank missions only."_

Then it got to personalized information. There was a line after "Jounin sensei:" where someone scrawled my name, _Rai_, in messy ink. It also had our number, Team 6.

When I saw the first name listed on the paper, I froze. There must be something wrong with my eyes. I blinked and looked again. The name was still there.

_Genin team:_

_1. Kaede Takayama_

_**2. Akihiro Sabishii**_

_3. Naoya Fuuma_

Unless there were two different Akihiros in Oto, then the second member of my team was the very same brat that I ran into on my first day here. The one with the scary fire tricks.

Fate must truly hate me.

At the very bottom of the paper there was a sentence dictating that I had to meet my team at a certain time on a certain day at a certain place.

Trouble was, the date was today. The time was in ten minutes. The place was on the opposite side of town. And I was still travel-worn and covered in dust from my mission.

I rose to my feet, grumbling internally. I would have loved to make a better impression on my students, but it seemed that their sensei was going to be very late on the their first day—there was just no way I was going to last another minute without a hot shower and something to eat.

.::xxXxx::.

The ninja academy was a squat little building, located on the ground instead of in the trees. The various training grounds surrounding the academy were open to all ranks of ninja, but today was genin were meeting their jounin teachers. That was where I headed, to Training Ground number 8.

I let out a low, appreciative whistle when I saw all the different training areas. There were about ten that I could see, and at least one was modeled after each of the major type of terrain that could be found in each of the Great Shinobi Countries: rocky, boulder-strewn land for the Land of Earth; towering cliffs and deep ravines with a river in the bottom to show the Land of Lightning; rolling hills and meadows speckled with lakes and ponds for the Land of Water; deeply shaded forests over mountainous ground modeled after the Land of Fire; and a barren, sandy desert representing the Land of Wind.

_I could get used to this_, I thought.

Perched on a conveniently placed tree limb, I surveyed the simple grassy field that was number 8. It was obvious who my students were; the field was completely empty save for three forms in the shade of the trees.

The first, a tall, slender kid with a shock of green hair, was standing a far distance from the other two. The boy had a long-sleeved blue shirt and tight black pants. His eyes were closed, his head tipped back slightly. He seemed to be swaying slightly, as if listening to music the rest of us couldn't hear.

The second was a young girl resting with her back against the trunk of a tree. She wore knee-length cargo shorts and a deep green t-shirt. The girl had tawny-colored hair cut really short; she could have passed for a guy if it hadn't been for her obviously female body. One leg was stretched in front of her, the other hugged to her ample chest.

Even though I hoped that my list had had a typo, it was without a doubt Akihiro sprawled out lazily on a branch of the same tree the girl leaned on. I took the moment I had to observe him closer than the other two, because I knew he'd be just as happy to see me as I had been to see him. The brat's face was covered in bandages, leaving only his forehead and eyes visible (which were currently shut. It seemed he'd decided to take a nap). He wore a gray shirt, unbuttoned halfway down to show a tan, hairless chest, and brown shorts.

I couldn't really learn anything watching them sit there, and I was eager to meet the other two anyway. I flipped to the ground and strode over to the genin.

"Hello. My name's Rai," I said confidently. I met the eyes of each kid in turn, pausing when I saw the girl spring to her feet, arms crossed angrily. Akihiro swung his legs around to dangle down, but then he went totally still, his mouth hanging open comically.

I fought a smile. "Something wrong?" I asked.

"You're late," the girl stated frostily. "An hour and a half late."

I shrugged her anger off. "Patience is a virtue," I reminded her. Her eyes flashed, but she said nothing. Smart of her to know not to argue. Maybe we'd get along.

A loud shout told me that Akihiro had gotten over his shock. He was on his feet, one had clenching a branch, the other pointing accusingly at me. "You! What the hell are you doing here?" Akihiro yelled. I merely looked at him. He'd get it any second. Wait for it . . . "Wait—_you're_ going to be our sensei?"

"Yes. Peachy, ain't it? Don't glare at me that way; it's not like I asked for this job. The Otokage assigned me here." As I'd hoped, he sullenly glanced away at the mention of the Otokage, seeming to lose some of his indignation. Although he still didn't look too pleased about it.

The girl looked between us. She asked, "Do you two know each other or something?"

"Something like that," I replied vaguely. Straightening, I clapped my hands together once. "So! Seeing as we're going to be a team for a while, why don't we introduce ourselves a little bit? Just say your name, things you like, things you don't like, etc. You—girl—you start."

"I'm Kaede Takayama," the girl answered. "I like sparring, my family's ninja cats, and being a ninja. I hate girly girls and I can't stand dogs. When I get older, my dream is to be the best head of my clan ever."

"O-o-kay. How 'bout you, Sabishii?" I prompted.

"You already know my name," the brat accused. "And I don't have to tell you anything about me!" That got raised eyebrows from me. I wasn't going to let him get away with comments like that later, but today was the first day of my "sensei-hood". I didn't want to push it.

I turned my attention to the green-haired boy. "And you?"

"I'm Naoya Fuuma. I like the quiet, and I enjoy reading," came the reply.

It was then that I realized he hadn't said a single word outside of what was required. Nothing about me being late, or anything. He hadn't even moved when I came up to the group, hadn't acknowledged anything around him. It was like we weren't even there to him, but he had been watching discreetly out of the corner of his eye the entire time.

I thought he was done, but then he spoke again. "I dislike . . . bullies." Naoyo's voice was soft and tentative, but those few words were so soft I had to strain to hear them.

There was a sudden rise of discomfort in the air, but no one moved or said anything. It was almost touchable, like I could close my fist and end up with a hunk of tension. Everyone avoided my eyes.

I changed the subject. "It's only fair I say something about myself. I told you my name—Rai. Let's see . . . I'm originally from the Land of Lightning. I was a ninja in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. I love ramen, learning new jutsu, and pranking people." I smirked a little. They'd better remember that little tidbit; if they didn't, they'd regret it. "Things I don't like . . . ? Hm . . . I don't like people who slack off and complain a lot, and I hate being judged.

"Well, now that we know each other, it's time to take a little test. You guys graduated from the Academy today, right?" I got a nod and a grudging "yeah". "Out of those students, only those who pass this test will actually become genin. The rest will go back to Academy for extra classes. The rules—"

"But Rai-sensei, we're not supposed to take this test until tomorrow. We haven't had anything rest or anything," Kaede interrupted, one hand on her hip. I was surprised she heard about the test after graduation at all; students weren't supposed to know. Was it different in Sound? No, by the look on his face, Akihiro hadn't known, and I was pretty sure Naoya was surprised too.

"Ninja don't only go on missions after they've rested up. There's no telling what could happen in our world. You have to be ready to fight anytime, no matter what," I said.

"But—"

"No buts. As I was saying, the rules of this test are fairly simple, so listen up." I pulled out two shiny, silver bells. I tossed them into the air and caught the string on my finger. "See these bells? Your goal is to get one each by the time the sun sets."

"Um . . . sensei?" Naoya's timid voice spoke up. "W-why are there only two bells? Shouldn't there be—"

"Three? Nope," I replied cheerfully. "This way one of you will fail for sure. Only the best on my team."

Three sets of eyes hardened. It made my heart go all warm and fuzzy to see such little kids with their faces set so determinedly. I wondered if any of them would actually pass this test. It was guaranteed to root out the weaklings. After all, the only four teams to have passed produced some of the strongest ninja of all time.

"Come on then," I taunted them. "Let's see what you brats've got!"

.::xxXxx::.

**A/N:** So, what did you think? Review and let me know!


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter took so long. My laptop crashed and all my documents got deleted, which made a major delay in typing this up. I'm still really pissed— everything I've ever written on my computer is gone, not to mention all the websites I had favorited to help me with my fics.

On a happier note, I was struck with sudden muse and I'm going to try to get two chapters up during Thanksgiving break (or at least finish this one and get a good head start on Chapter 5).

* * *

**Chapter 4: **More Time

* * *

"Go!"

Immediately, all three genin leapt away, leaving me to stand alone in the middle of the field. The cloud of dust kicked from their departure gradually faded away as I scanned the landscape. No sign of any of them. At least none of them had challenged me as cockily as I had Kakashi on my first day. Every time I thought of the incident, I wanted to travel back in time and give my younger self a good smack on the head to knock some sense into him. Because, really, there was no way a student fresh out of the academy can win alone in a fair fight against a jounin who's been an ANBU for years.

This entire experience was dredging up memories from my genin days. I could almost imagine Kakashi in my place, considering how late I was (that would only happen this once, I swore) and the bell test. I knew it wasn't very original, but I wouldn't dream of doing a different test. This same test had been passed down from team to team. It struck me then that only one ninja out of all those teams became a sensei. Only Jiraiya, out of the three Sannin. Only the Fourth Hokage, out of his team. Only Kakashi lived long enough to teach genin, out of his teammates. And only me, out of the three of us.

It was fitting that I use the bells as well. If I didn't, who would pass the tradition down? Sasuke was dead, and Sakura was too busy directing Konoha's hospital to teach a team of genin. The way I viewed it, it was up to me.

After a moment, I relaxed. I wasn't going to go chasing after them—not yet anyway. I would wait for one of them to get the courage up to attack. I was guessing it would be Akihiro. I doubted he'd miss the chance to get back at me. It was faint, but I was sure I saw burns swollen up and down his arms from when I turned his fire to steam.

Eight minutes, and still nothing. I was just debating whether or not pulling out a book to read would spur them on when a kunai flew right at my head. I ducked, easily, and heard it land with a wooden "thunk" in a tree behind me. "You have to do better than that if you want to—"

I was forced to shut up as a barrage of weapons, all shapes and sizes, spun at me from two sides. I jumped out of the way, only to have the cloud of sharp metal turn sharply in my direction. After hopping around the field a bit, dodging weapons, I started to get bored.

It only took one hand sign, a little burst chakra, and a gush of wind forced the weapons to the dirt.

If they wanted to get the bells, simply throwing things at me wasn't going to do.

Someone else seemed to come to this conclusion too, because footsteps rapidly sped towards me from my right. It was Kaede. She lashed out with her foot, which I neatly and used to toss her away. She came at me again, this time with punches. But I blocked every time, not flinching from the powerful blows. I was almost impressed by her taijutsu—she was pretty good for her age. I caught her fist in my hand and jerked her forward, off balance.

I leaned a couple inches to the side, and her momentum kept her body moving forward. I stuck out my foot and Kaede toppled to the ground. Without missing a beat, she flipped onto her feet and tugged on a wire I hadn't seen.

Before I could react, numerous lengths of wire tightened around my arms, holding close to my body. I couldn't move them at all. _The weapons_, I realized. Wire was bound to the weapons. She hadn't meant to hit me with weapons at all—they were thrown to spread the wire around, surrounding me.

Akihiro appeared in front of me, forming hand signs faster than any genin I'd ever seen. His eyes met mine. "Got you," he declared triumphantly. And sent a stream of blistering flames straight at my face.

.::xxXxx::.

As soon as Rai-sensei said go, I headed for the bushes. I knew Akihiro would be there to tell us what we had to do. Sure enough, there he was, slouched against a tree like he owned the world.

I sneered. What an arrogant idiot. His head turned towards me, and I wiped all traces of dislike off my face before he could notice. Akihiro may be a jerk, but he was also the best ninja in our class. I knew he expected both Naoya and me to meet up with him and follow his plan, if he had one. We didn't have a choice.

I entered the clearing cautiously, though. Who knew what going through that big head of his? I wasn't a fool; I hated the guy. I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him—well, no, that was a bad analogy. He was such a small fry—I could probably toss him back to the academy if I tried.

"Where's Naoya?" was the first thing out of his mouth.

As if I knew! I didn't keep track of what that weirdo did. "I don't know. He's probably on his way, though," I reassured him. He ignored me. Seething, I looked away. _He's your best chance to become a ninja. You have to deal with him. _If anyone could get those bells from Rai-sensei it was Akihiro. It wouldn't hurt to listen to what he had to say. If I helped him out, then Akihiro would give _me _the extra bell. _He probably won't give the bell to Naoya, seeing as they don't get along._

The next time I glanced at Akihiro, Naoya was standing next to him. What the heck? I did a double take. I didn't even hear him come! No leaves rustling, no footsteps, nothing. What was he, some kind of ghost? What a freak.

"Akihiro, he's here. Do you have a plan yet?" I asked. Akihiro jumped a little a bit. _It seems our all-powerful leader didn't notice him either, _I thought smugly.

Akihiro's eyebrows pulled together in a scowl. "Of course I do," he snapped at me. "Naoya! What took you so long? Jeez. We've been waiting on you forever." Naoya didn't say anything, but neither of us expected him to. The guy rarely spoke; I think I could count on my fingers the times I've heard his voice. And when Akihiro was around, he didn't talk at all.

Akihiro motioned for us to come closer. We did. "Okay," Akihiro said. "This is what we're going to do . . ." He outlined his plan.

I wanted to grin when the weapons attack went perfectly. Instead, I threw on a concentrated frown and pretended to fight Rai-sensei. I barely used any of my strength, trying my best to appear uncoordinated, just like Akihiro said. Rai-sensei brushed off all my attacks.

Even though I was trying to look weak, I was impressed. I'd never really seen a jounin in action. Rai-sensei dodged suddenly, and I went flying past him. He tripped me but I didn't try to correct my fall.

I let myself grin when the wire sprung up around my opponent perfectly, and he was caught in the trap.

"Got you." Akihiro was suddenly there, doing his fire thing. I watched in awe as a stream of fire enveloped Rai-sensei. I couldn't believe it was that easy!

There was a loud poof, and a bunch of white smoke appeared in the flames.

Akihiro let the flames die, and we exchanged looks in shock. Rai-sensei was gone!

"What the—" I heard Akihiro mutter.

"A clone?" I asked.

Akihiro whirled around. "You idiot! You were supposed to get the real one, not a clone!"

"You didn't know either, so don't pin this on me! Instead of yelling at me, why don't you focus on our enemy, huh?" I retorted. _So much for sucking up. _I just couldn't stand it when he acted so much better than everyone else.

Akihiro opened his mouth to say something else back, but then Naoya's quiet voice called out in warning, "Behind you!"

.::xxXxx::.

My warning came a little too late—or maybe my teammates' reactions were just a bit slow. Either way, Rai-sensei—the real one?—took advantage of it. He snagged some shuriken from his weapons pouch and tossed them at Kaede. She tried to dodge, but they hit their mark, pinning her to tree by the edges of her clothes.

In the same motion, sensei grabbed Akihiro's shoulder and yanked him forward. A quick tap to his head sent the genin tumbling to the ground. He didn't get up. I narrowed my eyes, concentrating on the situation (and ignoring the cheering in my head as the "prodigy" failed). It didn't look like Akihiro was hit very hard, so he couldn't be unconscious. So why—

I was already attuned to my surroundings, so I detected the genjutsu right away. But even knowing what was happening, I couldn't act fast enough to prevent it from overcoming me. A faint, trickling sensation stole over my mind, like sand filling up an hourglass. My vision blurred and went black, and then gradually receded to display a scene that I knew instantly was fake.

_A harsh, faceless man was shouting, his words cruel and indistinct. He raised he fist to strike a dark haired woman that stood in front of him, her eyes so sad, so weary that it broke my heart. But her face—it was defiant and broken at the same time; understanding that this was how things were and always would be, but at the same time, unwilling to accept it. _

_And just before the man's fist hit her cheek, a pale hand sprung up to block it. The man stumbled in astonishment as a much younger man, a ninja with green hair, moved to block the woman. He stood in front of her, determined and strong. He said nothing; he didn't need to. _

_The other man's eyes filled with fear at the mere sight of him, and he began backing away. Behind the young man, the woman lit up in quiet gratitude and relief. She was safe. She didn't have to worry anymore—_

It couldn't possibly be true because it would never happen. I could never protect her like that, no matter how much I wished I could.

I brought my hands together to release my chakra. "Kai!"

The genjutsu left me with a hollow feeling, a mixture of anger and sadness. I shook off both emotions, unwilling to think about it. When I opened my eyes, the world was back to normal. I was still hidden in the bushes, where I had relocated after my shouting had given away my position. I peeked through the fronds, spotting Rai-sensei right away. He held a length of wire in his hands, the same stuff Kaede had used against him. Kaede was still stuck to the tree, yelling and desperately trying to dislodge the shuriken from the wood. Realizing it was futile, she reached for a kunai to cut her clothes, but she couldn't reach her pouch. She sagged forward as Rai-sensei tapped her on the head, and would have fallen face-first if not for the shuriken holding her in place.

It was obvious now; he had placed Akihiro under a genjutsu, and just did the same to Kaede. Both of them were out of commission. I grimaced. So it was up to me, then—the worst out of the three of us. There was no way I could do this alone. If Rai-sensei took out Kaede and Akihiro that easily, I wouldn't stand a chance!

Besides, it was totally apparent that this exercise had something to do with teamwork. I was exactly sure how, but they couldn't expect two out of three genin to have enough skill get a bell from a jounin by themselves. Ninja worked in teams of three or more, so it was a safe assumption that the three of us were supposed to work together to pass.

On the chance that I was wrong, I could always try to nab a bell before Akihiro gave the extra to Kaede (because he sure wasn't going to give it to _me_). Now? My only chance was to try and save those two before Rai-sensei could get to me again.

But what to do . . .? I had to distract him somehow, so I could get to Kaede and Akihiro and have enough time to release them. Our time was almost—the sun sat low in the sky, already disappearing into the treetops. I let my breath out in a slow, steady sigh, closing my eyes briefly. This was it.

I burst out of the bushes and ran as fast as I could towards the others. Rai-sensei twisted around at the sound. When there were about ten feet between us, Rai-sensei didn't wait any longer. He darted forward to meet me. Somehow, the kunai I'd held in my hand got taken from me. I froze as the sharp tip poked me in the side with just enough pressure to make me want lean away from it.

"Don't move," Sensei's deep voice warned me.

I wanted nothing more than to just give up, put my hands in the air, and go home. I could settle down with a nice book by the fireplace, and mom would make me tea. I didn't have to be a ninja. In fact, mom would probably be much happier if I wasn't. _And yet . . ._

I glanced towards the motionless body of the black-haired boy. Akihiro Sabishii. If I gave up, no matter the situation, he'd make me regret it. Even though he and Kaede had lost and therefore I couldn't win, he would expect me to try and get the bells for him. What Akihiro wanted, he got. The consequences of not doing what he said—or what he would want—would be very, very bad.

My fingers were moving almost before the thought ended.

.::xxXxx::.

_Darkness, all around me. It was hard to see, hard to breathe, hard to do anything but wait, shivering, for something else to appear before me. Then suddenly—_

_I was standing on the very edge of a mountain, staring out over sharp, rocky spires stretching for miles and miles. The ridge I was on was bare of trees. I could see stunted, windblown shrubs marking the treeline far below. A river carved its way through the bottom, and even from my height I could see the white, frothing water. But the best part, the best part was the sky: a huge blue canvas, crossed over with a ribbon of light smeared in every shade of green, purple, and red._

_It was beautiful._

_Somehow, it awoke a yearning feeling inside me, a tightening in my chest. The mountains, tall and majestic; the sky, stretching out as far as I could see . . . it had a promise of freedom to it. Like you could travel forever, see everything the world had to offer, and still be amazed at it all. There was a road, leading on from where I stood into the horizon. I got the sense that it didn't have an end. In that moment, I wanted with all my heart to just take the path. To walk forward on it, and never look back._

_My gaze lingered on the amazing panorama, greedily taking it in with a longing I'd never felt before._

"Kai!"

A worried voice struck the air, disturbing the sensation of peace I felt.

The genjutsu shattered instantly, pieces of the image falling away like shards of glass. With them came the sensation that I was shattering too, my whole body breaking into pieces and blowing away.

I expected sunlight to blind me as I opened my eyes in slits, but there was none. I realized I was lying down, staring into the rapidly darkening sky. I sat up dizzily, and someone's arm went to my shoulder to help me stay in place. _My cheeks are cool_, I thought absently. I raised a hand to touch them and was shocked to find a trail of tears dampening the mask of bandages across my face. I ducked my head and quickly swiped them away, curling my lip into a sneer at myself.

A clash of metal against metal brought my head up. I saw Kaede holding a kunai, facing the wannabe ninja who claimed to be our sensei. As I watched, he darted forward and swung his own weapon, but Kaede blocked it. The clear clang of weapons colliding rang out again. What was I doing sitting here, when that useless girl was defending _me_? She couldn't hold him off for more than a minute or two. I started to rise to my feet, but the hand on my arm held me down.

"Are you okay?"

I glanced to the side to see Naoya crouched beside me. He was the one supporting my shoulders. "Don't touch me, loser!" I hissed quietly. Disgustedly, I shoved him away from me. I stood, not caring in the least that Naoya had fallen flat on his back, wincing in pain as his head hit a small rock in the dirt.

I strode forward to stand next to Kaede, slightly ahead of her. I heard Naoya come up on my other side. It was time to put the rest of my plan into action. The first part hadn't worked out—idiotic ninja and his clones!—but maybe we could still get the bells with the remainder of my plan. Behind my back, I twisted my fingers into a sign, one that we discussed ahead of time.

Kaede and Naoya darted around me, each of them heading for Rai. I followed, but hung back a bit. When the jounin had his hands full defending himself against those two, I built up my chakra. _"Substitution Jutsu!"_

It was timed perfectly: Naoya threw a kunai, misaimed on purpose. Rai didn't have to dodge to avoid it; he just ignored it and focused on Kaede, who had attacked him furiously from the front.

I switched myself with the kunai, which was directly behind him. As soon as my feet touched the earth, I lunged forward, my gaze set firmly on the bells that hung from Rai's belt. The tips of my fingers brushed the silver metal. So close!

Just as my fingers closed around the small bells, Rai made his move. His hands fell on my head, pushing me down as he used me to jump up. A kick in the stomach sent Kaede flying back, wheezing. Naoya was knocked away as well, no less gently.

The ground was not soft to my face. I groaned, glad that bandages kept most of my face from being ground into the dirt. My eyes were watering, irritated and red from the dust. On my hands and knees, I glanced up to see Rai still standing. He'd used me as a springboard—I'd been so close to grabbing those stupid bells and he'd used my head as a springboard!

Fury welled up in me, and my arms stung with pain at the reminder of the burns he'd put there the first day we'd fought. The pain had been terrible, and humiliating because he'd turned my own special jutsu against me. My dark eyes narrowed in hatred. He had no idea who he was messing with. I straightened up. I'd show him. Slowly, I reached for my weapons pouch, intending to pepper his body until it was stuck with kunai like a pincushion.

Rai tilted his head upwards, not even paying attention to me. He studied the sky intently, for reasons completely unknown to me. I glared at him, but it had no effect. His throat and chest were totally exposed. _He shouldn't leave such openings, the fool_. My hand flashed out, a trio of kunai flying forcefully from my grasp.

The kunai never got close. His own hand moved in a blur and was still. The kunai came to stop, clanking against each other as they came to a stop around his finger. He'd caught them all on his index finger. Without looking.

"Hold it," Rai berated, "look at the sun."

"What sun? It's gone," I said in an obvious tone, as if talking to a toddler.

Rai smiled. "Exactly."

.::xxXxx::.

There was a flash of confusion across Akihiro's face, and then he got it. His eyes widened, and then darted from side to side frantically, as if searching for a last minute way to win. Kaede let out a gasp, muffled by the fingers she pressed to her lips. Naoya didn't move from his position where I'd knocked him down, but I could practically feel the disappointment radiating from him.

"Now, now, don't get ahead of yourselves. Do you remember what I said your goal was for this test?" I asked lightly, fighting to keep any expression off my face.

Akihiro sulked, refusing to answer. Naoya still had his head hung, and his bangs covered his eyes. I raised my eyebrows at Kaede, silently inquiring.

"You said 'get one each by the time the sun sets,'" she quoted back at me.

"Yes, well, I lied." Three heads looked in my direction, three sets of eyes suspiciously hopeful.

Right then, I was _so_ tempted to say something like "look underneath the underneath" but I figured I'd acted enough like Kakashi for one day.

Akihiro frowned. "Then what was the point? How were we supposed to know what to do?"

"It was teamwork." Naoya replied before I did, but his voice was nearly silent. I ignored the incredulous looks Kaede and Akihiro were sending him.

"Very good," I said, pleased. It seemed this team wasn't hopeless after all. Not only did they work together, but one of them was smart enough to have seen through the deception in the first place. "The "point" as Sabishii put it was to get you to work as a team. If you had attacked me on your own, you wouldn't have gotten as close as you did. The three of you have potential, that's for sure."

Kaede and Naoya both glanced at Akihiro, who ignored them. He seemed to straighten a bit, and even under the mask, I could see his smirk. How interesting. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything—I don't think the brat needed a bigger ego.

"This test was important because in the real world, on a mission where anything that could go wrong does, the only thing you can really depend on is your teammates. They will be the constant in your life, and have to learn to rely on them. Every one of you has different strengths and weaknesses. You are much stronger together, when you have your teammates to make up for what you aren't so good at. It's a balance of skills," I told them, my voice as serious as it ever was. I could tell that although they had worked together, the three of them were far from being a team. In fact, I was sure they hated one another. Something told me that Sound, unlike Konoha, didn't consider teams very important. It seemed like an "every man for himself" lifestyle.

"The life of a shinobi is a dangerous one. Teamwork is a valuable skill. I can't stress that enough," I said.

Akihiro rolled his eyes and snorted. I narrowed my eyes. _That cheeky little_—in an instant I was behind Akihiro. I grabbed his arm and pulled it up against his back, ignoring the grunt of pain. The kunai in my hand touched his throat and the boy went absolutely still.

"Naoya!" I barked. "Kill Kaede now, or Akihiro dies!" Naoya's head snapped up and looked from me to the shocked Kaede. He took a step back, eyes wide. Akihiro tensed in my grip.

"You see? Situations like that could happen often. You need to be able to not only work as a team, but think as one too. And if you don't, not only can the enemy take advantage of that, but you might get into a sticky situation and have your teammates decide that leaving you there is much less of a hassle than getting you out," I added, tightening my hold on Akihiro's arm until his breath caught in a quiet whimper. I was being rough with him, yes, but I needed to make him take me seriously.

I released the boy and pushed him away from me. "It's in your best interests to make friends with your team. In some cases, they can become closer than family."

My gaze grew distant, until I was no longer seeing my new students. In my head, a picture swam into view, one I knew well. It was the small, framed snapshot of the four of us—Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, me, and Sasuke—shortly after we became Team Seven. Kakashi-sensei had a hand on me and Sasuke's heads, his one visible eye curved into a smile. Sakura was laughing between us, delight written all over her face. I had my arms crossed, pouting furiously at the last member of our team.

At first glance, Sasuke was just as displeased to be in the shot as I was. His lips were curved into a revolted sneer, and his head was turned from the camera, as if it was beneath his notice. That Uchiha arrogance and pride showed clearly in his body stance.

But if you knew what to look for—and I certainly did—then you could just barely make out the sparkle in his eyes, the tolerating amusement.

If you'd taken the time to dig deeper, to understand the boy underneath that sneering mask, you could see something more: the surprised pleasure and the thrill of finding himself there, part of a team that accepted him for who he was, instead of his status as the last of his clan.

A rustling of fabric brought my attention back to Team 6, whose genin were shifting restlessly. I must have been acting a bit weird, I mused—staring off into the distance for minutes on end in the middle of a lecture.

Kaede stepped forward, her face taking on a serious edge. Akihiro seemed properly cowed, so it was she who was acting as spokesperson.

"So, sensei . . . we didn't fail then?"

"You didn't fail," I confirmed, grinning. "You passed. Congratulations, Team 6. You guys are now official ninjas!"

Kaede's enthusiastic cheering as she jumped up and down didn't quite drown out Akihiro's victory shout. He pumped his fists into the air, making more noise than I thought humanely possible.

As my attention focused on the last, quietest student of mine, I expected at least a small smile, or perhaps gleam of triumph in his eyes. Instead, I caught a frown he hadn't meant anyone to see before he dropped his head, shadowing his face with his bangs.

.::xxXxx::.

After instructing my team to be at the training field bright and early tomorrow, I cheerfully bid them goodbye and went on my merry way. I stopped by market to get something to eat before I returned to the hotel.

I happened to start a conversation with the man selling fruit, and we started talking about academy students' recent graduation. He mentioned today's date, which had me excusing myself and scurrying off as soon as I could.

January 1st.

Exactly two months since I'd left Konoha on this mission. I couldn't believe how fast the time had flown by! But that wasn't why I left in the middle of the conversation—I remembered why January first was important. Today was when I had to check in with the ANBU member that would be stationed outside of the Village. It was an arranged meeting, the first of many times I would have to slip away and report what I found so far.

The main part of my mission was to find out if the rumors were true: had Orochimaru found a way to stay in Sasuke's body—to keep it longer than the usual three years. If the rumor was true, everyone was keeping it hushed up.

One of the best ways to find out gossip was wander around the market for a day. You'd be amazed at the amount of information, relevant or no, you could pick up. It was quite easy, too. All you had to do was pretend you were invisible or insignificant; become unassuming, merely part of the background. If you stop paying attention to yourself or things around you, people stop seeing you as well.

I'd had a lot of practice, because this method worked even better if you didn't have to pretend—if you really _were_ invisible.

No one looked at the Demon Brat willingly; they made an extra effort _not _to see him, until eventually, he wasn't there. The villagers' eyes would scan their surroundings (scouting prices for dinner or perhaps searching for their neighbors to wave hello to) but their gazes would slide over the small blonde boy huddled on the corner. People became so adapt at ignoring the only blight in their beloved village that they trained themselves to be blind to him.

Sometimes, those eyes didn't see him were worse than the ones that did. Because, even though the eyes that singled out the blonde boy as evil and nasty, stereotyped him as "demon", were often the same ones that took up clubs and gathered in groups to hunt him down, it was the people who didn't see him that hurt the most. He'd rather have the pain than the nothingness. No matter how twisted it seemed, at least they were acknowledging him as they beat him.

But as his young mind often argued, when not one pair of eyes settled on him, _saw him_, how could he be sure he was there?

_ The Demon Brat._ Iclosed my eyes, picturing him in my head_. Messy, spiked hair that stuck in every direction. Clear blue eyes, hurt and often filled with tears. But more often, squinted shut in a grin that light up the world around him, brought about by the smallest sign of kindness. So pure and naïve, but at the same time, more world-weary than the oldest man in the village. _

He was me, and I was him, but we were very, very different. I wasn't a loudmouth from birth, you know. I was a quiet kid, once upon time; I just changed. A hyperactive idiot is harder to ignore than quiet one, even though most people still managed to. In reality, the days of the young me were long gone, even as they dogged my thoughts almost every day.

Nowadays, the whispers of the villagers that followed me through Konoha were of awe, admiration, and even pride. It was funny how the village now thought of me as their "golden boy" and would shun anyone who talked bad about me, when most of them had done as much or worse in the years previous.

When you added my darker years to ones spent with the Pervy Sage, Jiraiya, as he sought information on the Akatsuki, you got a ninja that knew how to gather gossip perfectly.

And after all that, I had heard absolutely nothing about Orochimaru and his newest body.

It was completely dark now, I noted absently. All of Otogakure's lights were on throughout the village, but it made no difference where I stood on the edge. The forest surrounding the village was still black and twisted into feral shapes, throwing shadows away from civilization. Oto was a tiny speck on the mountain, a tame spot seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

It didn't take me long to slip out of the village, using the same passageway Amaya had shown me on my first day. I ran for miles, until I was absolutely sure that I wasn't being followed. A small town, non-shinobi, was my destination. It was a safe place to meet up. No one would know I was a ninja.

I entered the town and strolled along with the crowd, not hurrying. Now all I had to do was go to our meeting point and wait for the ANBU to find me.

There!

I could sense someone, trailing behind me. The person wasn't trying to hide their presence, so it had to be the person I had to report to. But something wasn't right—how did he or she know to follow _me_, of all the people in the crowd? No one but me knew what my disguise looked like, so they shouldn't be able to recognize me. Assuming it was a Konoha ANBU following me, I just went along with it. I didn't look back, or do anything to show that I knew someone was there.

After a while, I left the town and stopped in a clearing with no one in the immediate vicinity. With one hand on a tree limb, I swung my body up and perched on it. If it turned out not to be an ANBU . . . My hand crept towards my weapons pouch, but it stilled as soon as I realized I had moved.

A quiet _swish _was all that announced the arrival of the ninja. We studied each other—or I studied the bird mask that hid his face. The ninja wore the traditional gray vest and black pants of a Konoha ANBU. He pulled the mask to the side, allowing me a glimpse of a pale face, long, dark brown hair falling into place around it.

"Naruto," Neji Hyuuga's low voice greeted me. Ah—that would explain how he knew I was Naruto. It was smart of Tsunade to send someone who could tell who I was by my chakra.

"Neji," I returned, relaxing. I grinned, dropping my legs as I sat on the branch, swinging my feet slightly. "It's nice to see a familiar face 'round here." I was glad to see him, rather than some random ninja I didn't know (or trust).

"What do you have to report?" was his only reply.

"All business as usual," I grumbled under my breath. His lips twitched into what might have been the beginning of a smirk, but he said nothing. Fine then. I went on to describe everything that had happened so far. I added extra detail on how I got into the village, the layout, and, of course, my brief meeting with the Otokage. I didn't get a real reaction from the calm Hyuuga until I mentioned that I was going to be teaching a team of genin.

" . . . What?" Neji snapped. He looked at me as if I had just spouted nonsense, brows raised over white, pupil less eyes. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"I didn't have much of a choice. It was an order from the Otokage."

"Still . . . I don't like it."

"It does give me a more trustworthy angle to work from," I pointed out. "I can get closer to the other jounin this way. It's a more reliable source of information." My shoulders slumped a little bit as I added, "And I haven't heard anything to confirm or contradict what I came here to find out. Either it's a really well kept secret, or no one knows. Hell, I haven't even heard the rumors here. I need more time."

"The Hokage's orders were to stay where you are as long as it takes to find out the truth. Konoha cannot afford to let this slide by without investigating. The Hokage also said to remind you that she trusts you not to do anything stupid. I can't speak for her, but in my opinion, accepting a position as a jounin sensei falls into the "very foolish" category," Neji paused. "However if anyone could complete this mission, I believe it would be you, Naruto."

"Thanks Neji," I said gratefully. I wasn't expecting that. Although Neji was one of my close friends, especially since . . . well, I just wasn't expecting it 'cause he's not the most outspoken person I know. To hear encouragement from him meant a lot to me.

Neji inclined his head in my direction, and slowly slid his mask back over his face. That was my cue. I dropped to the ground. The wind blew, lazily rustling the leaves around us. I raised my hand to my head in a silly sort of salute.

"Heh, I guess I'll be seeing you then," I said, turning away. Neji didn't reply, and when I looked over my shoulder, the clearing was already empty.

.::xxXxx::.

**A/N: **That'll give you a closer look inside the genin's minds. I'm planning on having them be more than simple side characters. They won't be main characters for the whole story, but they're going to be a pretty big influence on Naruto.

Thanks so much to everyone for reviewing! I really appreciate you guys taking the time to comment; it's encouraging to know that people are reading my story and want to see more.


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Unfortunately, this story will be going on hiatus for a while. I'm not sure how long it's going to be. There are a couple of reasons, the main one being that I lost _all_ my muse for this fic. My inspiration is completely gone, and I don't want to continue forcing out words when I know it's so far below my best work.

Another factor in my decision is that my writing style changed recently, and I _really _don't feel like going back and rewriting all of the _Distance in My Eyes_ right now. The point of this hiatus is to let my brain relax, take a step back from this story, and be able to view it differently. I've no intention of abandoning it—it's just going to take some time to get me back in the mood to finish it.

On the other hand, I've started working on a new story that better suites the style I've been working on. :D This time around, instead of trying to write and edit and post a chapter once a month or so, I'm going to work ahead before I post the first chapter. This way, I'll already have them all edited and ready to update much faster. It will also let me go back and edit what I've already written before I post it.

I know this is disappointment to everyone, but I hope you guys won't get mad enough to click the that little back button and never read my fics again. Just in case, I posted a one-shot I recently finished, called _To Me_. ;P It's in Sasuke's point of view, feel free to check it out if you'd like.

Again, I'm really sorry for making you wait, but I truly think it's going to be worth it once I get everything written.


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